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Public hearing on Lewiston’s 2025 Transportation CIP draws questions on Bridal Avenue, crosswalk safety
Summary
Public Works Director Dustin Johnson presented the draft 2025 Transportation Capital Improvement Plan, prompting questions from councilors and residents about Bridal Avenue, crosswalk signage, sidewalk prioritization and grant funding strategies; no final adoption vote was recorded at the hearing.
The Lewiston City Council held a public hearing Feb. 24 on the draft 2025 Transportation Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), where Public Works Director Dustin Johnson reviewed project rankings, recent completions and the grant-driven funding approach used to sequence major arterial, sidewalk and safety work.
“[The CIP] is a prioritized ranking of the projects within our transportation network,” Johnson told the council. He said recent work — including a fiber seal on 20 First Street and a Thane Corridor study by the regional Metropolitan Planning Organization — changed some rankings and that projects such as Snake River Avenue, Ninth Street Grade and Bridal Avenue are in the funding queue over the next several years.
Johnson outlined near-term items and long-term funding realities: Brighton Avenue’s environmental phase is closing and construction is programmed for fiscal 2025/26, Snake River Avenue is next in line for construction, and Ninth Street Grade is tentatively scheduled for 2027. Johnson recommended further work on a sidewalk prioritization subproject to replace the city’s older master spreadsheet and to better target sidewalks near schools and commercial nodes.
Public commenters raised immediate safety concerns. Jenna Coffey, a Clarkston Heights resident, urged better signage at the Bridal-to-Thane crosswalk, saying she nearly struck a bicyclist in November because “there are absolutely no signs if you're coming down Thane toward Crosspointe Church.” Resident Michael Yolencott also recommended solar-powered blinking crosswalk beacons at school crossings.
Councilors pressed staff about Bridal Avenue’s priority and design. Several councilors said they would like to explore a three-lane design rather than the five-lane cross section previously studied. Johnson said the project’s federal funding and design stage do not automatically preclude redesign and noted the Urban Renewal Agency had been part of the project’s funding conversation. “You certainly would want to do that before you start purchasing right of way,” Johnson said about any redesign work; he added that redesign would not automatically cause the city to lose federal STBG/STP funding.
Council members and staff discussed how rankings inform grant applications and planning. Johnson said the CIP ranking helps staff focus on the top projects when pursuing competitive grants such as STBG and the Federal Lands Access Program (PLAP), and cautioned against frequent large shifts in ranking—“it takes decades” for some major projects to reach construction. Several councilors requested additional analysis and community outreach on Bridal/Bryden corridor options, and one asked staff to move a Preston and Thane intersection project higher in the list because of recent collisions.
The hearing provided council members an opportunity to adjust priorities; staff said they would start the regular update loop again in November with a formal call for projects. The transcript records extended discussion and public comment and shows the public hearing closed without a final council vote to adopt a revised CIP at the Feb. 24 meeting. Staff invited written comments and said staff and advisory committees (PWAC) would continue to refine the sidewalk and project prioritization work ahead of next year’s budget and grant cycles.
