ITD presents Highway 69 (Meridian Road) corridor study proposing wider lanes, raised median and multiuse paths

Idaho Transportation Department and consultant DKS Associates presented a draft traffic study for State Highway 69 (Meridian Road) and the Meridian–Kuna corridor, laying out a long-range vision that would widen key segments, install a continuous raised median, and add multiuse pathways.

The study covers an 8-mile corridor and projects that traffic on the northern (Meridian Road) segment could more than double by 2050, the study’s design year. ITD staff said intersection congestion and crashes are major concerns: the most recent five-year crash count on the corridor is about 580 total crashes, with roughly 47 percent classified as serious or injury crashes — a higher percentage than the statewide average for similar facilities.

Why it matters: ITD said without changes, dominant-peak travel times could rise sharply (one northbound peak could grow from about 13–14 minutes today to more than 42 minutes by 2050). The study’s preferred vision is intended to retain driver expectancy while improving safety and capacity.

Key elements of the proposed vision include widening the busiest north-south segment from five to seven lanes with a continuous raised median (shown in the draft with an 18-foot raised median), signalized access spaced at mile and half-mile intervals, right-turn lanes at access…