BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
A highway expansion is coming to the Treasure Valley, although right now, the soon-to-be thoroughfare is mostly mud.
Already visible from Interstate 84, the project will extend Highway 16 — which currently runs from Emmett south to Star — farther south to connect with I-84 near Exit 38 and the Ford Idaho Center.
The approximately 4.5 miles of new roadway will give drivers a north-south highway between Ada and Canyon counties.
According to MaryAnn Waldinger, technical services team lead at COMPASS, this construction has been in the works for years. The 1996 COMPASS plan looking to 2015 is the first plan that mentions a north-south route through the Treasure Valley, Waldinger said, although it’s something she never thought would happen during her career.
“It’s really been a vision for decades, to have an efficient north-south route,” Waldinger said during an interview with the Idaho Press.
The four-lane divided highway is estimated to be completed by fall 2025, said Idaho Transportation Department Public Information Officer Sophia Miraglio.
According to Miraglio, construction crews will be working through this summer, building new ramps to connect Highway 16 with U.S. Highway 20/26. A new bridge and a pedestrian bridge over Five Mile Creek in Meridian are complete, leaving construction on the McMillan Road Overpass just south of Chinden Boulevard and several irrigation structures to continue.
Once finished, the new route could provide some traffic relief on Franklin Road, which runs just north of I-84 from Meridian eastbound into Boise; Ten Mile Road, which starts in north Meridian at Chinden Boulevard and heads southbound all the way to Kuna; and I-84, the statewide east-west highway that connects Boise to the Oregon border and beyond, Miraglio said.
Eagle Road could also see some traffic relief because of the new route, Waldinger said.
“Eagle Road carries a lot of traffic,” Waldinger said. “I know people have an opinion about Eagle Road, but it carries a tremendous amount of traffic, and it didn’t quite end up the way folks had initially envisioned it.”
The Highway 16 extension will give drivers greater access to I-84, Chinden Boulevard and State Highway 44, which are all east-west thoroughfares in the Treasure Valley.
“It’s going to be limited access, eventually have interchanges, so it’s going to be a typically a higher-speed facility and it will be a facility that could serve those longer trips,” Waldinger said. “Someone coming out of north Star wanting to get to I-84, they’ll have a more efficient route to get to I-84 for versus maybe going over to Ten Mile or even over to Garrity Boulevard in Nampa, both of those interchanges are pretty busy these days, so it just gives people another option.”
The project is set in three phases — ITD is currently designing the final phase of the project, which will complete interchanges at I-84, Franklin and Ustick roads, Highway 20/26 and State Highway 44. According to Miraglio, once those interchanges are finished, drivers can exit or enter the highway at each interchange. Construction on the I-84 interchange is already underway.
“I’m looking forward to more roadway and transportation options for our community, as traffic and transportation network improvements have been a priority of mine and something our residents see as a great need,” Meridian Mayor Robert Simison said in a statement to the Idaho Press. “These investments reflect a commitment to fostering more efficient and accessible infrastructure for the benefit of our residents.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET NEWS FROM KTVB:
Download the KTVB News Mobile App
Apple iOS: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Watch news reports for FREE on YouTube: KTVB YouTube channel
Stream Live for FREE on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching 'KTVB'.
Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download.
