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 Grove north of McMillan did not appear among the top ranked projects. Heather said the subcommittee limited its focus to the projects most likely to be addressed in the next five years, which left some northern segments lower on the consolidated list.

Several council members urged linkage of mile segments so a corridor could be advanced end‑to‑end. Councilman Overton and others suggested moving contiguous segments (for example, the two mile segments currently at ranks 12 and 15) together into the top 15 so the corridor would reach Chinden and not leave gaps. Councilman Taylor said his preference would be to prioritize Meridian Road because of recent and approved development north of McMillan; Councilman Overton said he favored Locust Grove because ACHD’s level‑of‑service data shows larger failures there.

ACHD staff joined the discussion. Krista Anselman, planning supervisor at ACHD, told council the correct list placement depends on the treatment requested: “If you’re asking for a full signalized intersection or full buildout, I could see it going on the roads and intersections list. But if it’s an interim treatment, that makes more sense for community programs.” She recommended clarity from council on the desired ultimate treatment when advising ACHD.

The Venable/Ustick intersection next to the planned community center drew focused comments. City staff and Aaron (city staff) said ACHD has determined the intersection meets warrants for signalization and staff expects ACHD would lean toward a signal (though a roundabout has not been fully ruled out). Aaron told council the developer and city are discussing a cooperative development agreement that could let the signal be built in coordination with the community center. Council members urged the city to elevate that intersection in the priority list so timing can align with the community center development.

Linder Road overpass also came up repeatedly. Staff and ACHD told council that until projects are “shovel ready” they prefer the city keep them high on the priority list so ACHD does not infer the project is no longer a priority. Staff said phase 1 near the Overland intersection has a bid opening and notice to proceed this spring; the full overpass and extension up to Franklin remains later in the planning horizon. City staff, citing ACHD, said right‑of‑way acquisition for the full Linder corridor could require roughly $20 million and may be staged over many years.

Council feedback and next steps: Staff asked council for guidance so it can return an updated transmittal. Several council members suggested specific edits: move one corridor’s contiguous mile segments into the top 15 (either Meridian or Locust Grove); raise Venable/Ustick into the top 10 to align with the community center schedule; and leave projects that are already under construction high on the list so ACHD does not get mixed signals. Council agreed to schedule another discussion and possible action on March 11 so staff can revise the draft and collect additional ACHD feedback.

No formal vote was taken on the priority list in the Feb. 25 work session; staff will prepare an updated list reflecting council direction for future deliberation.

Ending: Staff will return to council with a revised ACHD transmittal and recommended list, and council asked staff to seek ACHD input on feasibility of moved items before the March 19 submittal deadline.