A highway expansion is coming to the Treasure Valley, although right now, the soon-to-be thoroughfare is mostly mud.
Already visible from Interstate 84, the project will extend Highway 16 — which currently runs from Emmett south to Star — farther south to connect with I-84 near Exit 38 and the Ford Idaho Center.
The approximately 4.5 miles of new roadway will give drivers a north-south highway between Ada and Canyon counties.
According to MaryAnn Waldinger, technical services team lead at COMPASS, this construction has been in the works for years. The 1996 COMPASS plan looking to 2015 is the first plan that mentions a north-south route through the Treasure Valley, Waldinger said, although it’s something she never thought would happen during her career.
“It’s really been a vision for decades, to have an efficient north-south route,” Waldinger said during an interview with the Idaho Press.
The four-lane divided highway is estimated to be completed by fall 2025, said Idaho Transportation Department Public Information Officer Sophia Miraglio.