MERIDIAN — Last week, the Idaho Transportation Department held two public open houses — one in Meridian and one in Eagle — to inform residents and get their perspective on the projects proposed for Eagle Road in the coming year.
These open houses came a few months after ITD proposed a two-year pilot project on Eagle Road. According to Vincent Trimboli, transportation program manager with ITD, the project has been in the works for three years.
“Eagle Road, at times, can be a congested area,” Trimboli said. “So the department is proposing a plan to do a pilot Safety Awareness Project throughout the quarter.”
The pilot project will go from State Highway 44 to Interstate 84, about an eight-mile stretch of road running north-south from Eagle to Meridian. It will include the implementation of variable speed limits, speed feedback signs and adding more signage with the goal of improving safety on one of the Treasure Valley’s busiest roadways, which serves more than 60,000 vehicles per day, Trimboli said. The project will also remove four mid-block left turns to reduce crashes on State Highway 55: the southbound left turn on Meadowdale Street, southbound U-turn near Ustick, northbound left turn on Lanark Street and the northbound left turn in on Baldcypress Street.