Meridian council debates which north–south corridor to elevate in ACHD priority list

Meridian City Council members spent more than an hour on Feb. 25 reviewing the city’s draft 2025 roadway, intersection and community program priorities for submission to the Ada County Highway District (ACHD).

City transportation staff said the Transportation Commission and a prioritization subcommittee prepared the draft lists and used last year’s rankings plus ACHD scoring and a level‑of‑service map to focus on the “top 3, 5, 10” projects. Heather (city transportation staff) reminded council the finalized list must be submitted to ACHD by March 19.

Why it matters: ACHD uses city priorities to schedule design, right‑of‑way purchase and construction; moving a project into the top 10–15 increases the chance it will be advanced or receive earlier funding. Council members said getting a single north–south corridor programmed through to Chinden would help relieve chronic bottlenecks in northern Meridian.

Council debate focused on two corridors: Meridian Road north of McMillan and Locust Grove north toward Chinden. Councilman Schrader called the packet “the most comprehensive” the council has received but asked why Locust…