Planners Endorse Highway 41 Project Proposal Would Make Highway Limited Access And Divided

Kootenai County’s Planning Commission on Monday endorsed a plan designed to move traffic more smoothly on state Highway 41 between Post Falls and Rathdrum.

The five commissioners present unanimously recommended the project, which would make Highway 41 a limited access, divided highway from Poleline Avenue on the south to Lancaster on the north. Major intersections would remain at Poleline, Prairie, Hayden, Wyoming and Lancaster.

The Planning Commission acts as an advisory board, making recommendations to the county’s board of commissioners.

The Highway 41 proposal also calls for collector roads to be built parallel to the highway on each side, about a quarter-mile away. The four-lane divided highway would be separated by a grassy median and only right turns on and off would be permitted. Left turns would be allowed at major intersections.

Planning commissioners decided that the increase in traffic, among other factors, merited the change to the county’s comprehensive plan. From 1992 to 1997, traffic has increased 100 percent at the intersection of Highway 41 and Prairie and 83 percent at the intersection with Hayden.

Not everyone supported the proposal.

David Spiker, who owns 20 acres of land on Highway 41, said he thinks the plan goes too far. He would prefer to see the highway become five lanes, with a center turn lane.

“You’re talking about building something like Interstate 90 four miles long,” Spiker said. “It’s gross overkill.”

Another proposal approved Monday night also could change the look of Highway 41. Jacklin Land Co. asked that zoning for 160 acres fronting the highway be changed from agricultural to commercial. Jacklin wants to create two 80-acre commercial centers at Highway 41’s intersections with Prairie and Hayden.

Most of the commissioners supported the proposal, but they said no development should occur until a sewer management plan is created. Commissioner Jon Mueller cast the only dissenting vote.

The city of Post Falls opposed the proposal. City officials agree that population and traffic have increased, but said the land use hasn’t changed enough to merit altering the county’s comprehensive plan.

Gary Young, Post Falls’ planning director, said he’s concerned about how pockets of development just outside the city will impact the city as it plans for growth.

Also, said Young, the city has just begun to develop a master plan for its sewer system. It’s not clear at this point what the capacity of the city’s wastewater treatment plant will be, he said.

“I think timing is the real issue here,” Young said.

In other business, the commission shot down a request by Panhandle Resources Inc. for a zone change on 134 acres east of Athol. The land at the intersection of U.S. Highway 95 and state Highway 54 is currently zoned rural and commercial.

The applicant is asking that it be changed to high density residential and commercial, but the City of Athol is opposed to the change.

This sidebar appeared with the story: WHAT’S NEXT The Planning Commission will forward the recommendations to Kootenai County commissioners.