Mines Road project: county says left‑turn lane addition will be done before Thanksgiving; TID covers most cost
Loading...
Summary
County engineer and TID representatives gave an update on a joint county‑state project on Mines Road to add a dedicated left‑turn lane near the mall; the project is largely paid by the TID grant (about 88%) and the county has a local match commitment. The county closed a short section of road to speed construction.
County Engineer Gary Schafer and TID chair Nick Coggins updated commissioners on a joint state–county project on Mines Road to add a dedicated left‑turn lane at the mall intersection to reduce backups.
Schafer described current traffic patterns: eastbound through traffic is held up when left‑turning vehicles block the shared lane. The project will add a separate left‑turn lane so right turn, through and left movements are separated; Schafer said construction would finish "well before Thanksgiving." Commissioners discussed options the contractor considered — keeping traffic during work versus temporarily closing a short road section — and staff said they coordinated with mall ownership and closed a small segment to expedite construction. Nick Coggins said TID funding covers roughly 88% of the project (TID grant $500,000) and that the county committed a local match equal to roughly 12% of the total project; the project was reported as currently under budget with an updated total cost reported in the meeting packet at $570,000.
Commissioners and staff said the closure helped complete the work faster and that the project addressed traffic concerns associated with mall growth and the earlier Diverging Diamond interchange work.
No formal vote was recorded in the transcript excerpt; the update was informational and commissioners expressed general support.
