US 95 Collected info

["david sarff" <davesway@hotmail.com>]

This bit of info I am just passing along.
I hope it is useful.
  Dave


FOUR-LANE US 95 FROM THE TOP OF THE LEWISTON HILL TO MOSCOW

PUBLIC MEETINGS:		28 Feb - Genesee City Center, 1 to 8 PM
						29 Feb - Moscow's University Inn Palouse Room, 4 to 8 PM
						1 Mar - Lewiston, Helm Restaurant, 4 to 8 PM

Construction is 2-part: Genesee to Moscow first (starts July 2001); Genesee 
to Lewiston Hill second (2003). Genesee to Moscow is federally funded ($17 
million). Former Sen. Kempthorne inserted the money into the 1998 federal 
highway bill. Generally, additional lanes follow current US 95 alignment. 
Only from the top of Reisenauer Hill (5 miles south of Moscow) to Moscow is 
a drastic realignment proposed. Eleven alternatives were examined. In the 
Lewiston Trib (9 Feb 00) ITD maintains all alternatives are still under 
consideration, but said just the opposite a month earlier (Lewiston Trib 21 
Jan 00). And, if Alternative 10 is just one of 11 routes still being 
evaluated, why is it the only one shown as "proposed US 95" for public 
comment?

Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) states public input is not a 
prerequisite for planning new highway construction (Lewiston Trib 21 Jan 00, 
23 Jan 00). Because of perceived sensitivity, ITD formed a focus group to 
evaluate a new alignment between Reisenauer Hill and Moscow. ITD claims a 
focus group is the only way "everyone in the room can be heard" (Lewiston 
Trib 21 Jan 00). However, focus group credibility is poor because: 1) 
general public didn't know who was on the focus group so input could not be 
channeled through focus group members to ITD (everyone was not heard); 2) an 
environmental voice on the group was lacking but truckers were invited; 3) 
focus group members serving as official representatives of government 
agencies also had personal stakes in the realignment.

ALTERNATIVE 10 - PARADISE RIDGE ROUTE

Alternative 10 Benefits:

1. Bypasses dangerous Reisenauer Hill.
2. Grade of proposed route more constant - less elevational change (trucks 
and cars can get to Lewiston a minute or two faster).
3. Fewer curves.
4. More direct to Moscow than current alignment.
5. Avoids numerous private access points, particularly from Snow Road to 
Cameron Road.
6. Bypasses dangerous Zietler Road corner.
7. Can be built without disrupting traffic on current road.
8. Moves road up out of "prime" cropland.
9. Only county road disrupted is Eid.

In other words, travelers can go faster. . . Discussing highway safety, 
former and current members of the Idaho transportation board (Mike Mitchell 
and Bruce Sweeney) indicate most accidents are because "[drivers] are 
driving too fast for the conditions of the road and the weather" (Lewiston 
Trib 14 Feb 00). See the next 3 points.

Alternative 10 Negatives:

Safety concerns:

1. Higher elevation and orographic lifting over the ridge means more snow 
accumulation and drifting.
2. Because of Paradise Ridge's north-south geography, orographic fog occurs 
frequently at the 2800 to 2900' levels. One in 6 days had orographic fog 
between Halloween and mid-December 1999 (not counting the 2 weeks when 
everyone had intense fog in December).
3. High deer population. Fifty to 80 deer can usually be seen along the 
proposed route. Proposed realignment puts deer hiding areas on the east side 
of the roadway, but the only year-round source of water (a spring at the 
south end of Zeitler Road (Stevens Spring?)) on the west side.
4. Dangerous Reisenauer Hill becomes albatross of county. Genesee school bus 
still has to drive the route, probably with lower quality snow removal, and 
still with a nearly impossible turn onto Eid Road when traveling northbound.

Social concerns:

The largest concentration of affected folks is at Hidden Village along Eid 
Road.

1. Realignment will be perched 60 feet above Hidden Village without any 
natural barriers to prevent noise from descending into the community. Noise 
will be increased.
2. Idaho DEQ has raised concerns over water quality for the largest 
private-public water system between Genesee and Moscow. Increased runoff 
from the highway along with increased levels of pollutants could pose risk 
to wells. Blasting rock for construction could negatively impact water 
availability.
3. Is Moscow really ready to relinquish the aesthetic qualities of Paradise 
Ridge for an interstate-like highway? Is this the quality of life we really 
want?

Environmental concerns:

1. Requires building more new roadway to replace vacated roadbed thereby 
disrupting more arable cropland.
2. Route will greatly affect big game movement. Proposed alignment crosses 
elk, deer, and moose travel routes. Only year-round water for big game on 
west side of new road - cover on east.
3. Splits 12 acres of timber used for nesting by 4 species of birds of prey. 
Disrupts timber and "old growth" hawthorn serving as integral part of 
wildlife area used by 115 species of birds, 10 mammals, 3 amphibians. Three 
species are listed as Species of Special Concern with the Idaho Conservation 
Data Center: Western Toad, Barn Owl, and Pygmy Nuthatch, the later being 
listed as S2 (without concern for habitat, may become extimct in Idaho).
4. Alternative 10 appears to cross areas with endemic Palouse Prairie 
plants. Palouse Prairie is listed as an endangered ecosystem (USDI Bio. 
Rept. 28, 1995) so loss of any remaining endemic flora is critical.
5. Brings roadway closer to known Palouse Prairie remnants. Palouse Prairie 
is considered an endangered ecosystem. A report prepared for the BLM cited 
the major threats to remnants were road building and weeds (USFWS / IDFG 
"Status and conservation of the Palouse grassland in Idaho, 1997).
6. Numerous wetland disruptions. Pond just south of Eid Road, riparian / 
hawthorn stringers, extremely close to Stevens Springs, several ponds on 
Mike Snow property. Construction through decomposed granite may cause 
increased sediment loads to South Fork Palouse River drainage.
7. Disrupts historic Civilian Conservation Corps tree plantings.
8. Potential for chemical run-off from highway to contaminate nearby 
historic Stevens Spring.
9. May impact water quality in Hidden Village. DEQ has concerns about this.
10. Elevating the new road bed 60' above the current Eid Road will be noisy 
to Hidden Village residents.

House transportation chairman Jim Kempton "doesn't like the patchwork 
approach of US 95 projects" (Lewiston Trib 14 Feb 00). Yet, ITD is ignoring 
years of discussion on a west-side Moscow bypass [A Moscow bypass "is not 
part of the scope of this project" (Lewiston Trib 21 Jan 00)]. If Moscow 
built War Bonnet as a precursor to the bypass, wouldn't it make more sense 
to realign US 95 closer to the stateline? Wouldn't a straight road along the 
stateline from the west edge of Moscow to the top of the Lewiston Hill be 
the shortest route? It would disrupt less lives and wildlife, would be 
proactive for the bypass, and cheaper to build from a right-of-way cost 
point of view. Bruce Sweeny: "The biggest holdup [for US 95 improvements] is 
the purchase of right-of-way" (Lewiston Trib 14 Feb 00).

ITD claims Kempthorne's bill stipulated 4 lanes had to built between Genesee 
and Moscow, and that can only be done with available funds if current lanes 
are incorporated, making discussion of a stateline route mute. Make sure ITD 
can really build this road for $17 million. Construction of anything less 
than 4 lanes COMPLETE from Genesee to Moscow means a stateline route, or 
other more westerly alignments between Reisenauer Hill and Moscow, should be 
considered.
INCORPORATE MORE EXISTING ROADBED, FIX AND USE REISENAUER HILL, MOVE 
ALIGNMENT ......WEST.

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