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Fernan, Bunco Roads On List For Upgrade, In A Few Years

By Julie Titone juliet@spokesman.com

Two popular and dangerous routes into the national forest are scheduled for improvement.

They are Fernan Road, which heads east out of Coeur d’Alene; and Bunco Road, which is north of Coeur d’Alene and east of U.S. Highway 95.

The narrow, twisting road along Fernan Lake is especially busy. Fishermen park along the shore. Bicyclists compete with cars for space. There’s not enough room for a snowplow and a school bus to pass each other.

“People leave the road and go into the lake, they hit each other on blind corners,” Fernan District Ranger Susan Matthews said Monday.

Last March, a teenager was killed when his car plunged off a sharp curve and into the lake.

Safety is a major reason that both roads are scheduled for repair. However, the work won’t be done until the year 2002, said Kristi Swisher of the Federal Highway Administration.

“If we had another project drop off or have funds shift around, it could get pulled up to the year 2000,” she added.

Her agency is paying for the projects because the roads are part of the forest highway system, even though much of the work will be done outside of federal land.

There’s no budget yet for the Fernan Road project. It’s a complicated one involving wetland protection and the potential purchase of pricey lakeside property.

“The cost now is very, very open, depending on whether we widen away from the lake, or toward the lake,” Swisher said.

Forest officials are hoping for two wide lanes plus a bike path along the lake, said John Neirinckx, project coordinator for the Panhandle Forests.

The Fernan improvements would extend over 10 miles, from Fernan Village to near the Fernan Saddle.

There are snowmobile parking lots near the end of both road improvement projects.

In the case of the Bunco Road, Neirinckx would like to see the three-mile project extend past the parking lot.

Currently, snowmobilers must stay on the narrow road in order to reach the forest trail system. There have been close calls between recreationists and logging trucks there.

Planned paving would eliminate the dust that now plagues people who live along Bunco Road. The proposal also calls for straightening curves and installing guardrails.

The Bunco Road takes motorists to Lakeview, an isolated community on the east shore of Lake Pend Oreille. Travelers also can use it to reach the Little North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: PROPOSALS The proposals to improve the Fernan and Bunco roads will be explained at two public meetings this week. The Bunco Road improvements will be discussed from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hayden Library, 8385 N. Government Way. Highway and forest officials will be present to talk about the Fernan project from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Lake City High School, 6106 Ramsey Road. Those unable to attend can get more information from Kristi Swisher at the Federal Highway Administration, phone (360) 696-7572. Written comments can be sent to Walter Langlitz, FHA, 610 E. Fifth St., Vancouver, WA 98661.

This sidebar appeared with the story: PROPOSALS The proposals to improve the Fernan and Bunco roads will be explained at two public meetings this week. The Bunco Road improvements will be discussed from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hayden Library, 8385 N. Government Way. Highway and forest officials will be present to talk about the Fernan project from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Lake City High School, 6106 Ramsey Road. Those unable to attend can get more information from Kristi Swisher at the Federal Highway Administration, phone (360) 696-7572. Written comments can be sent to Walter Langlitz, FHA, 610 E. Fifth St., Vancouver, WA 98661.