Corps requests details on byway
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is asking for more information before approving a massive highway project to route U.S. 95 traffic away from the downtown core of Sandpoint.
In a letter to the Idaho Transportation Department, the corps said public comments it has received on the project leave many questions hanging.
“We need additional information to complete our evaluation on your permit application,” the corps’ regional office in Walla Walla wrote.
Environmental groups who oppose the Sand Creek Byway project, which would dredge and fill portions of the creek to funnel high-speed traffic away from the resort town, cheered the news.
“We hope that the end result is that ITD comes up with a better solution to area transportation needs,” said Liz Sedler, of the North Idaho Community Action Network.
But Barb Babic, spokeswoman for the Transportation Department in Coeur d’Alene, said the request was routine and would be easily accommodated.
“We still expect to go to construction this summer,” she said of the $70 million project, which will take some three years to finish.
U.S. 95 is the main north-south highway in Idaho and is heavily used by trucks, tourists and local residents.
The road cuts through the middle of Sandpoint, on the edge of scenic Lake Pend Oreille, creating huge traffic jams for much of the year through a series of 90-degree turns.
Many residents have long sought the highway bypass to increase safety on downtown streets, which are often clogged with pedestrians in summer months and skiers at nearby Schweitzer Mountain in winter.
State engineers began discussing relocation of the highway in the 1950s but the project has been beset with litigation and concerns over its impact on the aesthetic appeal of the community.
The latest plans call for dredging and filling parts of Sand Creek adjacent to the lake to create a 2.1-mile truck route and a new bike path.
Idaho politicians have sent letters urging quick federal approval of the permits to allow the dredging to proceed.
But opponents say the Sand Creek route threatens water quality and the appealing waterfront view that draws tourists to Sandpoint. Pierre Bordenave, of the Association of Concerned Sandpoint Businesses, said state engineers can’t guarantee the dredging won’t harm the wetlands or the creek that flows through downtown to the lake.
Highway boosters say most people support the project.
“There is a small group of people opposed to it,” Babic contended. “This is a much-needed project.”
In its letter, the corps requested a complete wetland study, more information regarding the volume of fill material the ITD proposes to discharge into Sand Creek, and more analysis of how two- and four-lane segments of the highway would function.
The corps also wants more study of an alternative proposal by a group that is pushing for a four-lane tunnel underneath the downtown core, and other proposals.