Lewiston council approves state-local agreement for $7 million Snake River Avenue project

Lewiston’s City Council on Nov. 24 approved a state-local agreement with the Idaho Transportation Department to advance Federal-Aid Highway Project A013, a long-planned reconstruction of Snake River Avenue.

Public Works Director Dustin Johnson said the project is roughly $7,000,000 and that a Strategic Initiatives grant of about $3,500,000 covers nearly half the cost, reducing the amount of state-surface-transportation-allocation (SDP) funds the city must spend. "This has been a project that's been in the works for quite a long time," Johnson told the council, noting design, right-of-way acquisition and other preparation have been ongoing for more than a decade.

Why it matters: The agreement is a required step for the city to receive federal-aid funding managed by the state and to obligate the grant money. Johnson said the grant money was received by the city and will be spent first so Lewiston does not fall to the bottom of the SDP funding list.

Council questions focused on how prior local spending and the local match were captured in the project budget. Councilor Spickelmeyer asked for clarification on a line labeled "plus all local participation" and Johnson said prior right-of-way and design expenditures, plus the city’s local match, account for the adjustments and that more detail will be provided at an upcoming work session.

The council voted to adopt Resolution 2025-52 authorizing the mayor to sign the state-local agreement; the motion passed by recorded voice votes.

Next steps: Staff will provide a more detailed cost breakdown at the work session referenced by Johnson and the city will proceed with project design and right-of-way steps required before construction.