LEWISTON, Idaho — Idaho is not wasting any time putting millions of dollars approved by the Legislature to work on transportation projects across the state.
The Idaho Transportation Board approved dozens of new road construction projects Wednesday during its regular monthly meeting in Lewiston.
The projects include $350 million in construction work that is expected to begin sometime next year.
Many of the projects are part of Gov. Brad Little's "Building Idaho's Future" transportation funding solution.
"Idaho is the fastest growing state in the nation. To keep up with the demands of a fast-growing state, our historic transportation funding solution helps save Idahoans' time, keeps us safe on our roads, and makes our state's economy even stronger," Little said. "I appreciate the Idaho Transportation Board for acting quickly to put these new funds to work."
Projects approved by the board include $170 million of Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) funds to expand State Highway 16 from US 20/26 (Chinden Blvd.) to Interstate 84. The board also dedicated $37 million of TECM funds to expand US 20/26 to four lanes from Middleton Road to I-84. Both projects should be under construction in 2022 and will likely be bonded.
The board also approved about $140 million in projects with one-time monies from federal and state COVID relief funds. Those projects will provide critical maintenance and safety needs for highways and bridges from Ashton in eastern Idaho, to the Magic Valley and north to Wallace.
"We want to thank the Idaho Legislature and governor for one of the most significant transportation investments in state history," said ITD Board Chairman Bill Moad. "Our goal as a board is to be great stewards of this funding. We will work with the department to pick the projects across Idaho that will have the greatest return on investment in improving safety, increasing mobility and addressing Idaho's rapid growth."
See the full list of projects that were approved across the state.
The board also approved nearly $170 million for project development. This includes environmental planning, design and right-of-way acquisition.
"Project development is very important. The board wants the department to have projects ready for the Building Idaho's Future program and to be constantly advancing additional work for any future federal or state funding opportunities," said Moad. "It is our goal to put the money to work as soon as it becomes available."
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