I-90 improvements on the table
For John Dinkel, and probably many others in Post Falls, the intersection of State Highway 41 and Seltice Way is awful.
“That is the one intersection in the entire town that I try to avoid,” Dinkel said. Even so, he’s forced to pass through it at least three times a day – and wait through several traffic light cycles – on the way to his children’s school, karate and violin classes, and Wal-Mart.
With all the new buildings being built along Seltice, Dinkel envisions it getting worse. That’s why he has been attending meetings of the Idaho Transportation Department’s Interstate 90 corridor improvements project.
ITD has over the past year presented numerous options for improving transportation in Post Falls. The choices have been whittled down to three, and the department is seeking input on them Wednesday at the Post Falls library. The meeting will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., but people can come at any time and stay for any length of time, said staff engineer Amy Schroeder.
One option, named number 2, includes a crossing across I-90 at Greensferry Road and a full interchange at Seltice Way.
Another option, number 5, includes an interchange on I-90 at Greensferry Road and a north-south link from Seltice Way to Fourth Avenue.
The last option, number 7, includes a Greensferry Road interchange and the removal of ramps at Seltice Way.
All the options would expand State Highway 41 to six lanes, up from four.
After getting input from the public on which options deserve further study, ITD will examine whether any of them have any safety or environmental concerns, then hold another public meeting, and then send the proposal to the Federal Highway Administration before beginning the design process.
It will be two to three years before the department is ready to break ground, Schroeder said, and how fast the project would be completed depends on the availability of federal funds. The construction will be phased and begin with whichever improvement is most needed, she added.
Dinkel said he thinks an overpass or interchange at Greensferry Road would relieve congestion at the Highway 41/Seltice interchange and the Spokane Street interchange.
“In the future, just a couple of years down the road, with the amount of people that are moving into this area … it’s going to turn into a little Los Angeles if we’re not careful,” Dinkel said. “Doing it now just makes sense than doing it later.”