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Senators question ITD’s renewed $9.6 million request to relocate District 4 from Shoshone to Twin Falls
Summary
Lawmakers pressed ITD Director Scott Stokes on a repeated proposal to move District 4 headquarters from Shoshone to Twin Falls, asking whether the $9.6 million price tag and small commute‑time savings justify overturning last year’s legislative rejection.
At a JFAC transportation budget hearing, several legislators questioned the Idaho Transportation Department’s renewed request to relocate District 4 headquarters from Shoshone to a site near Twin Falls, a proposal that the legislature and governor rejected last year.
Senator Cook said he toured the Shoshone facility and found staff told him the building needed maintenance rather than replacement. “For $9,600,000 I think you could have public meetings at the courthouse in Twin Falls or at the library,” Cook said, adding that an ITD analysis of employee addresses showed 71 employees with a median commute of 37 minutes to Shoshone and 25 minutes to the proposed Twin Falls location — a 12‑minute median difference.
Director Scott Stokes said the Transportation Board and department staff have reconsidered the long‑term delivery location for District 4 services and recommended a site closer to the growing Twin Falls community. “We would like to be closer to the growing community of Twin Falls,” Stokes said, adding that some employees live in the Twin Falls area and the move would reduce inefficiencies tied to travel to project sites.
Representative Price asked whether the $1 million previously directed to Shoshone repairs had been spent; Stokes said roofing and window replacement are in final design and expected to be installed in summer. Senator Cook pressed that staff reported they did not routinely leave the Shoshone site for field work, and that commute‑time differences for staff and the public were small.
Why it matters: The relocation would represent a multi‑million dollar capital investment and a strategic decision about where ITD serves the public in south central Idaho. Lawmakers emphasized the legislature’s prior rejection of the move and sought specific data tying the expense to measurable benefits for taxpayers and operations.
What comes next: Stokes said the department had submitted its recommendation and left the decision to the committee and legislature. Committee members signaled skepticism about revisiting a request that had been rejected in the prior budget cycle and sought more detailed analysis of service access, utilization and the condition of the Shoshone building.
