Planners Strive To Find Common Ground Transportation Officials Say Cooperation Is Essential Between Border Communities

Idaho has 1.2 million people; Washington has five times that many. Idaho is largely rural and inland; Washington has a huge urban population and a coastal ferry system.

Still, the neighboring states have many common transportation problems, from corridor plans to studded tires, that ought to be tackled together.

That was the consensus of the two state transportation boards, whose members held a rare joint meeting Tuesday in Coeur d’Alene.

The need for cooperation is especially true in the fast-growing Spokane-North Idaho region, they agreed.

“We’ve got to figure out how to get all the people from Spokane to Priest Lake and Hayden Lake,” joked Chuck Winder, chairman of the Idaho Transportation Board.

The meeting was arranged by Linda Tompkins, the Washington Transportation Commissioner from Spokane. Her successor as board chair, Alice Tawresey, was eager to make the meeting a tradition.

“We need to do this once a year, at least,” she said.

Commissioners agreed to start sharing each other’s five-year planning documents. They want to increase communication between highway planners in border areas such as Lewiston-Clarkston, Moscow-Pullman and Spokane-Coeur d’Alene.

The first thing they shared Thursday was concern about reauthorization of the federal transportation law known as the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act.

Three versions of the legislation are pending in Congress, with Washington and Idaho lining up behind different bills. But commissioners agreed that specifics of the law were less important than the bottom line.

Everyone needs more money.

“We lack funding for one-third of the needs of our highway system,” said Tawresey.

, DataTimes MEMO: Cut in the Spokane edition.

This sidebar appeared with the story: OTHER TOPICS: Among other topics, the boards discussed: Corridors for highway construction or expansion. Washington commissioners bemoaned their inability to plan for the future by buying right-of-way. “Getting the real estate is what just breaks our back,” added Jerry Lenzi, eastern region administrator for the Washington Department of Transportation. Idaho officials plan to ask the Legislature for more authority to acquire corridors. Then, they hope to find the money to carry that out. Relationships with lawmakers. Based on what they heard Thursday, Washington commissioners were envious of the good relations that Idaho highway officials have with their Legislature. The trucking industry. Both states are under pressure from shippers - especially Canadian shippers, in Idaho’s case - to allow heavier loads on the highways. Both are interested in so-called “Intelligent Transportation Systems,” which use computers to make truck transportation more efficient. Studded tires. Highways that are chewed up by studded snow tires are a problem on both sides of the border. Idaho commissioner Leon Smith Jr. noted that Oregon has banned studded tires.