Alan: I live in Ada County and drive that corridor every day. I don't get to N. Idaho as often as I'd like, and I am unable to compare N. Idaho roads and problems to those down here. But ... I can tell you that the interstate between Boise and Nampa/Caldwell is a horrible problem. It starts to jam up at 3:30 PM, and stays that way usually until at least 6:30 PM. It is common to come to a complete stop several times on the 7 mile commute. This isn't a problem for my convenience, so much, as I knew what I was getting into when I moved to Kuna. It is a problem for air quality in the valley (which the legislature denied the valley's attempt to fix), it causes much unncessary fuel consumption to stop and go, and idle (we're talking thousands of autos), it slows down business travel and deliveries, and it spawns many accidents that endanger locals and people just passing through. Maybe there's a bigger problem for Idaho roads, but I doubt it.

DFO: That's exactly what happens in Portland, Seattle and most major metropolitan areas. Basically, Boise's asking to cut in line because it doesn't like traffic jams, while Dirk Kempthorne conjured the whole GARVEE bond approach to highway funding to fix Highway 95 (if I recall correctly). 'Tis hard to get killed in a traffic jam. But 'tisn't as hard to get killed in a head-on on the goat trail.

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