Not All See Road Project As Improvement New Road Eliminates Deadly Crossing; Some Fear It Wrecks Property Values

Bernice Stottlemyre likes her 40-acre tract near Post Falls just the way it is - with a road running through it, all the way to Highway 53.

But she’s afraid that next year, her land will be all but worthless.

“You know what happens when they close a road!” said Stottlemyre, pointing at a huge map of a project to re-route Beck Road.

Some residents are mad because they think property values will sink when Beck Road is re-routed east to connect it to Prairie Avenue. But the state and the Post Falls Highway Commission say the current route’s railroad crossing is deadly. Accidents there have killed five people in the last three years, and is considered the fourth worst in the state.

With the new road, drivers coming from Spokane would have to double back from Prairie, instead of taking a straight shot south from the highway.

Stottlemyre wants to sell her land and doubts she can now, “unless I give it away.”

Post Falls Highway Commissioner Lynn Humphreys said it’s too late for complaints. “Barring an act of God or whatever, it’s not gonna make a difference,” he said. “We need to protect people.”

The Idaho Transportation Department actually recommended the re-route. There was talk of simply installing a stoplight or crossing-arms on Beck, but the state decided warnings weren’t enough.

State rail highway safety specialist Lee Wilson said there was an accident there just two months ago; a man saw the train and slammed on his brakes. But the intersection’s incline is so steep, it didn’t matter. He slid.

“Fortunately, all he was was injured,” Wilson said.

The railroad crossing on Prairie is safer and already has signals and a gate. “The state, the railroad, the federal people, everyone thinks there needs to be some work done,” Humphreys said.

“Our main concern is to save lives.”

Stottlemyre alleges that Humphreys’ main concern is profit. She said he has land along the proposed route, and its value would increase due to the project.

“This just gives him nice acreage,” she said. “This is a conflict of interest.”

Humphreys denies that; he said he leases some land there and uses it to farm alfalfa and barley.

Plans show that the land is owned by someone else, and names Humphreys as a lessee.

Stottlemyre isn’t the only one questioning the Beck Road changes. The owner of the Stateline Speedway along Beck is worried about business there shifting into a lower gear.

“It’s just ridiculous,” Joe Doellefeld said. “People have to double back to get to our area. I’d rather have them keep the road where it is and add the cross arms.”

That would have actually cost more, Humphreys said. To fix the incline, Highway 53’s roadbed would need to be lowered or Beck would have to raised. Either way, it would disrupt traffic and cost about $1 million. State estimates put the cost of the new road and signal project at about half that.

Humphreys said that in the end, it won’t matter. People will get used to it.

“It’s not going to affect the traffic. We’re not going to eliminate Beck Road.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map of Beck Road area