AM Headlines — 3/20/09

A motorist waites for the light to change at the intersection of US 95 nad Bosanko in Coeur d’Alene on Thursday. The state of Idaho is talking about removing the lights at the intersections at Canfield and Bosanko in the heart of Kootenai County”s commercial sprawl to speed up traffic through the area. (Kathy Plonka/Spokesman-Review)

• CPD Blue police blotter /SR
• Bonner County police blotter /SR
• Election consolidation bill killed by one vote /Betsy Russell, Eye On Olympia
• Forecast: High of 57, sprinkles /SR
• Larkin to seek 3rd term as Post Falls mayor /Brian Walker, CDA Press
• Jurors explain Olsen decision /KXLY
• Kroc Center safe amid economic troubles /Alecia Warren, CDA Press

Question: Should the state remove the lights and restrict movements at the Highway 95 intersections @ Canfield & Bosanko (Jeff Selle discusses this situation in further detail in the drop-down box below)/Kootenai MPO corrects?

Hey DFO, this thread is inaccurate. The proposal is to “remove the stoplights” at those intersections, and to restrict some movements in the unsignalized intersections. No intersectoins are proposed for closure.

Essentially, all traffic movement will be allowed if you are traveling north or south on 95. You just won’t have to wait for a light to turn left on Bonsanko or Canfield.

However, if you are traveling east or west on Canfield or Bonsanko, you will only be able to turn right to get back onto 95 at those intersections. You will not be able to cross 95 or turn left onto 95 at the unsignailized intersections.

The reason they are proposing this is that those two lights are on a quarter-mile spacing, while all of the other signals are on a half-mile spacing. In order to syncronize the lights and increase the green times on signalized cross streets, those two lights would have to be removed.

Access to businesses along the entire corridor was a serious consideration in this study. Both of those light removal projects are just a small part of the overall package of projects that will be necessary to improve the access to the business there.

For instance, the light at Canfield will not be removed until Wilbur is connected between 95 and Government way, and a new signal is installed at that intersection, which is on a half-mile spacing. A new north/south interior access road will also be built to connect Wilbur and Canfeild immediately to the east of Michaels and that phones plus/postnet building. It’s already half built. Similar interior network improvements are being planned for the Bonsanko intersection as well.

There is a whole lot of misinformation out there concerning this study. So our agency, the Kootenai Metroplitan Planning Organization (KMPO), has been talking with Mike Kennedy to potentially hold another open house and explain the entire project.

In total, there are 35 changes being proposed at a cost of $6.7 million. The pay off is a 70% imporvement in the efficiency of the entire transportation network between I-90 and Highway 53 to the north and south, and between Ramsey Road and Government Way to the east and west.

Here is a direct link to the Highway 95 access study findings: http://www.kmpo.net/us95access-study2.html

DFO, I know the Spokeman is doing a story, but I couldn’t find the link on todays website…has it been published yet?