Bonner County approves stop‑control intersection safety project, agrees to $57,413 local match

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday voted to approve a state‑local agreement with the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) for stop‑control intersection safety improvements and authorized a final local match payment of $57,413 to move the project into the construction phase.

Bonner County engineer Matt Mulder said the work will add flashing LED stop signs with radar activation, larger 48‑inch signs, solar panels and batteries, and foundation work at intersections. The project scope in the county’s application was cut from 80 locations to 34 after LTAC (Local Transportation Advisory Committee) budget limits and rising construction cost estimates.

The grant’s construction estimate is $880,000; counties must provide a local match. Mulder said the county’s required contribution is 7.34 percent of that estimate and that the county would receive refunds of match funds if actual bids come in lower.

“The total construction cost is now estimated to be $880,000,” Mulder said. He told commissioners his office is “optimistic that the actual costs are gonna be significantly lower than the 880,000 that they are anticipating going into the bidding of this project.”

Why this matters: the upgrades are designed to reduce crashes tied to drivers failing to stop. Mulder cited two recent fatal crashes — one on Sully Road at Highway 95 and a recent fatality on Colburn/Culver Road — as part of the rationale for prioritizing intersections where failure to stop has been a factor.

County and funding details - Original grant scope: 80 locations (2020 application); reduced to 34 locations to fit LTAC availability. - Current ITD/LTAC construction estimate: $880,000. - Bonner County local match: 7.34 percent (approximately $57,413) to be paid at signing to move the project into construction. - LTAC contribution: roughly 92.66 percent (Mulder cited LTAC providing the large remainder of the program funding).

Commissioners and staff discussed program costs and long‑term maintenance. Mulder said replacement hardware for a disrupted sign location (if a sign, battery or solar panel is destroyed) would cost about $3,000 per location in parts alone. He also said ITD’s cost estimate includes conservative line items — for example, a construction‑engineering allowance of about 15 percent and other contingency items — that drive up the per‑location construction estimate.

“I think when we see the final number for the local cost … we’ll see that it has a reasonable cost,” Commissioner Corn said during discussion, while acknowledging the appearance of high initial estimates. Commissioner Corn added a critical note about how government cost estimates can become inflated in the bidding process.

A member of the public, Wayne Martin of Bonner County, asked whether brush and trees that can obscure signs factored into site selection; Mulder said vegetation was a known factor at Sully and that the county had taken steps at that site to clear sight lines.

The board approved the state‑local agreement and the $57,413 match; the vote passed on roll call.

What happens next: staff will move the project into the construction phase and advertise for bids consistent with ITD procedures. Mulder said the county’s match payment would be adjusted if final construction costs come in lower than the conservative estimate, with any unused match funds returned to the county.

Ending: Commissioners framed the vote as a balance between cost concerns and public safety, with optimism expressed that actual bids will be lower than ITD’s conservative estimates and that the upgrades will reduce crashes at problem intersections.