Have you ever been trapped in rush hour and thought to yourself: Man, couldn’t the Ada County Highway District do something to make traffic a little bit better for all of us?
In parts of Meridian, the congestion could be even more pronounced. The state’s second-largest city’s population has grown tremendously — nearly doubling from about 75,000 residents in 2010 to almost 143,000 in 2024, according to the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho . In the five-year period from June 2019 to June 2024, average daily traffic counts in Meridian increased by about 33,500, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.
The Ada County Highway District is starting to find itself in shifting sand as it contemplates ways to ease this congestion — including a 1½ mile stretch of Linder Road in Meridian. But it would come at both a personal and financial cost.
In about six weeks, the agency’s board of commissioners is set to choose among three proposals to upgrade and possibly widen the mostly two-lane road segment from Pine Avenue, next to Meridian High School, north past Tully Park to Linder’s intersection with Ustick Road. The first plan would cost taxpayers $16.7 million. The other two: $31 million.