ACHD lays out 2026 Meridian projects and recommends Meridian Road priority over Locust Grove
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Summary
Ada County Highway District presented its 2026 Meridian program — including Ustick corridor work, the Linder Road overpass and a federally funded Black Cat railroad crossing — and recommended Meridian Road as the higher-priority corridor based on traffic modeling and impact-fee eligibility.
Ada County Highway District on Jan. 13 presented a slate of 2026 projects in Meridian and told the City Council the agency’s adopted plan favors improvements along Meridian Road over Locust Grove.
"There are a lot of great projects going on," ACHD right-of-way and project manager Brian McCarthy said as he outlined widening, multi-use pathways and bridge work across the city. He cited four Ustick-area projects, ongoing construction on the Ustick corridor and early right-of-way work on McDermott and Franklin Road projects intended for construction starts in 2027.
McCarthy highlighted project-specific funding and timing: the Black Cat railroad crossing received $675,000 in federal funds to replace the existing stop-controlled intersection with signals and gates, and ACHD has budgeted $2,000,000 in 2026 for right-of-way purchases on the Linder corridor to begin voluntary buyouts.
Tom Laws, ACHD planning manager, followed with a corridor-level analysis comparing Meridian Road and Locust Grove between Chinden and Interstate 84. Laws said Meridian Road has heavier daily volumes in the southern segments and direct interstate access — factors the Compass travel-demand model and ACHD’s current capital improvement plan used to recommend Meridian Road as the preferred prioritization.
“We would recommend Meridian Road being the ... preferred prioritization,” Laws said, citing modeling results and the corridor’s impact-fee eligibility. He also noted that several Locust Grove segments are already operating at failing levels and were therefore judged not impact-fee eligible, which means financing would depend on general-fund or other non-impact-fee sources.
Council members pressed staff on trade-offs. Some elected officials favored Locust Grove because of future regional generators including a planned Idaho State University campus and public safety facilities along that corridor; others noted Meridian Road already has two widened miles and argued completing Meridian would yield faster benefits. ACHD staff warned that a smaller near-term crossing upgrade at Black Cat — sized for two lanes with gates and flashers — will not be compatible with an eventual five-lane section and would likely need significant rebuilding if the corridor is widened later.
What happens next: ACHD staff said Linder Road overpass construction is planned to be advertised for bid in late winter with a target notice to proceed in June; the Black Cat design will begin after finalizing a state-local agreement and is programmed for construction in 2027. Council and ACHD agreed to continue coordination through the city’s upcoming transportation commission and the ACHD five-year work program process.
Why it matters: Corridor prioritization shapes what improvements become feasible within available funding. Impact-fee eligibility, demonstrated need (current failing level of service), regional connectivity and emergency response access were all raised as key considerations by council members and ACHD staff.
