Sandpoint Bypass Gets Ok From Board

A unanimous decision by the Idaho Transportation Board gives state engineers the green light to construct a raised bypass along Sand Creek through Sandpoint.

The Department of Transportation is negotiating with Morrison Knudsen Centennial, an engineering consulting firm, to establish a contract and scope of the design work. A design is expected in two years.

The proposed route for U.S. Highway 95 through Sandpoint has split the community for years. While most residents agree that heavy commercial truck traffic is a detriment to downtown, they disagree on where the alternate route should go.

Opponents of the selected route believe it will destroy a scenic corridor through downtown Sandpoint.

Proposals for a west-side route that would require a new bridge across the Pend Oreille River were rejected by the department as too costly.