Re: Highway 95 -- Moscow Bypass

["Cliff Todd" <forester@moscow.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Joel Hamilton <joelh@uidaho.edu>
To: Visionaries <vision2020@moscow.com>
Sent: Monday, February 21, 2000 11:06 AM
Subject: Highway 95 -- Moscow Bypass



On 2/21/00 Joel Hamilton wrote:
>The issue of a Moscow bypass was raised over 20 years ago at the time the
>downtown couplet was under consideration.  A decision was made to go with
the
>couplet.  In the intervening years, until recently, the state has expressed
>little to no interest in building a bypass, planning a route for a bypass,
or
>even preserving a corridor for a bypass.  Some of us on the Planning and
Zoning
>Commission and the City Council have felt that was an irresponsible
attitude on
>the part of the IDT, so we've continued over the years to talk about bypass
>routes, and tried on our own, without cooperation from IDT, and in the face
of
>mall development in the corridor,  to preserve a possible route on the west
>side.  It has never been a financially feasible option for the city to do
much
>more -- design routes, secure right of way, or build a bypass -- without
IDT
>cooperation and funding.

I'm not a bit surprised to hear IDT has been uncooperative concerning a
Moscow Hwy 95 bypass.
As I recall the issue some twenty years ago, we had two choices then the
couplet or a bypass. The downtown merchants (or what was left of them) were
adamantly opposed to the bypass. They (the downtown merchants) were very
concerned about the further decline of business.  At that time a number of
downtown stores had closed up and several storefronts were empty because the
Moscow Mall had recently opened up. I'm under the impression that the
choices then were one or the other and the couplet was not meant to be a
stop gap measure for a future bypass. In other words, we shot ourselves in
the foot for the short term gain for the downtown business.

Also at that time the bypass under consideration (again as I remember)was to
go to the east of town, because the University was reluctant to give up any
land.

In hindsight the City Council and the P&Z commission could have in these
intervening years preserved a place for a bypass if they wanted too. There
is no reason why Moscow has mainly sprawled east and west, instead of north
and south.

I support the bypass idea then and now for two reason. First, I think it
will enhance the downtown area by relieving a lot of congestion. Secondly
(because I  frequently send log trucks and heavy equipment thru town) it
would be safer and more efficient for those truckers that have to go thru
town now.

On a side note for those of you that are unhappy with the Alturas situation.
Think about the hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions of dollars
the taxpayers spent on the couplet system just to enhance business in the
downtown area.

 Cliff Todd
Timberland Recovery
2218 East D St
Moscow, Id  83843
(208) 882-5844
forester@moscow.com