Bonneville County staff present transportation master plan updates; chip-seal funding gaps highlighted

Speaker 4 presented an updated transportation master plan and a project list, saying staff added average daily traffic (ADT) counts and level-of-service ratings to help prioritize work. He cited Ammon Road (17th to 1st) as an example, with 13,864 vehicles per day recorded in 2022 and a roughly estimated project cost of $1 million to $5 million.

"As you start going down through the list, some of them are in 2022...the number in 2023 and 2024," Speaker 4 said while explaining gaps in traffic-count data and the need to gather more recent counts. He noted that projects highlighted in green are ones with design work or partial construction under way.

Commissioners discussed prioritization criteria that would weigh ADT, pavement condition and how projects connect to regional corridors. Speaker 6 said staff and he had discussed collecting more data and condition assessments to produce a ranked priority list for the board to review.

The transportation plan also recommends annual funding of $3,000,000 for chip sealing to preserve pavement. Speaker 4 reported that the county spent about $1,100,000 on chip sealing last year and that a previous board had budgeted about $1,000,000. "Those are goals when we start to talk about budget priority," Speaker 6 said.

Staff told commissioners they will collect updated traffic counts (including proposed counts over holiday dates) and circulate printed binders and GIS maps for public presentation. The commissioners asked for a prioritized list and for staff to return with recommended budget implications and timing for implementation.

The board did not take a formal vote on funding changes during this meeting; staff will return with updated data and a prioritized project list for further action.