KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — As the population of Kootenai County continues to increase, the Idaho Transportation Department is thinking ahead to make sure the area’s roads are able to keep up.
An ITD study of the county’s roads revealed the highways in Rathdrum Prairie will not be able to accommodate the projected population growth over the next 20 years.
The study is currently in its second phase and aims to enhance traffic flow in the area between I-90, US Highway 95, Idaho Highway 53 and the Washington-Idaho border.
According to the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization, the area’s population could double over the next two decades, reaching nearly 320,000 people. That growth would severely congest the county’s roads.
Included in the study are 13 different ways to mitigate the potential congestion problem in Rathdrum Prairie.
One of the proposals suggests expanding Highway 53 from State Line to Highway 95.
Another proposal includes expanding Highway 95 from I-90 to Highway 53, and a third proposal suggests adding an express lane in both directions on Highway 95, from I-90 to Highway 53.
Businesses in the area have said congestion is already driving customers away and they hope whichever plan is chosen will accommodate the expected growth.
You can find all the study’s proposals online at itdprojects.idaho.gov.
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