Jefferson County commissioners press ITD for immediate traffic fixes on Highway 48

At a Jefferson County commissioners meeting, Commissioner Scott Hancock pressed Idaho Transportation Department officials to act quickly to reduce congestion and safety risks on Highway 48, saying traffic often backs up for blocks and that residents face dangerous turns and driveway conflicts.

“We have that happening,” Hancock said, describing backups and asking for near-term fixes that could be implemented faster than multi-year construction projects. County officials asked ITD to consider temporary portable stoplights, variable speed signage near schools and a reduced speed limit through areas with homes, businesses, a cemetery and a church.

The request followed presentations and local data that county officials said show much higher traffic counts than those in ITD materials. Commissioners and local staff cited recent apartment development—"about 200 doors" of fourplexes—and school expansions, which they said are increasing peak-hour volumes and making intersections such as 4000 and the frontage/County Line Road crossing more hazardous.

Dan McElhaney, who identified himself as chief deputy director for ITD, told the group the department has seen 20–25% increases in traffic volume in many counties over the past few years and said ITD is emphasizing alternative approaches beyond waiting for crash thresholds. “We’re taking a little different approach,” McElhaney said, describing work on signage and beacon systems near schools and other high-use locations as tools ITD can apply while longer-term projects proceed.

Local officials pressed specific near-term options. They asked for signal designs and for ITD to evaluate lowering the posted speed through the stretch where the limit is currently 55 mph, including an area county speakers noted passes a cemetery and a church. Commissioners also asked whether ITD could place portable signals or temporary traffic control devices to reduce immediate risk while permanent poles and engineered solutions are scheduled.

ITD staff acknowledged logistical constraints such as seasonal supplier availability for signal hardware but did not rule out short-term measures. Officials agreed that a full interchange or major widening would be a longer-term solution and discussed past drawings and options for moving or adding an interchange, while noting engineering constraints such as a canal and soil/fault conditions in parts of the corridor.

As a procedural next step, participants agreed to convene again to prepare a 10-year plan for Highway 48 and Highway 20 through Jefferson County and coordinate at an upcoming Regional Planning Organization (RPO) meeting slated for December 18 to share designs, counts and priorities. No formal motions or votes were recorded at the meeting.

The meeting closed with county leaders reiterating urgency for short-term mitigations while ITD prepares follow-up materials and a corridor-level plan.