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KMPO, ITD brief Hayden on Rathdrum Prairie transportation study; four major alternatives move toward NEPA
Summary
Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization and ITD presented a multi-year Rathdrum Prairie transportation study covering ~70 square miles with four finalist corridor alternatives (D, H, M, N) and an element to widen US‑95; the final report is expected this fall and alternatives could move into NEPA.
Ellie Marino, executive director of the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization, and ITD project manager Carrie Anne Hewitt briefed the Hayden City Council on the Rathdrum Prairie area transportation study, which covers roughly 70 square miles from the state line to Government Way and I‑90 to Highway 53.
Marino said the multi-stage screening process began with more than 50 concepts and narrowed to four alternatives (D: widened Hutter arterial; H: Hutter bypass concept with a divided access-controlled facility and frontage roads; M and N: east–west limited-access corridors plus local widenings) and an element B that would widen US‑95 from four to six lanes. The study used a 2045 forecast to evaluate level-of-service, travel-time savings (examples: Alternative H could save ~13 minutes along US‑95 in one corridor comparison), crash-prediction analysis and parcel impacts; some scenario combinations showed large travel-time savings but also significant right-of-way impacts and high conceptual costs. Marino said level‑3 evaluation is wrapping up and the study will move toward NEPA, with the final report expected this fall.
Council members questioned the potential for property displacements, aquifer impacts, right-of-way set-asides, conceptual costs, and how local development might affect feasible alignments; KMPO staff said more detailed environmental and right-of-way analyses would occur in NEPA and that some local set-aside practices are possible but purchases would not occur until design. Marino highlighted potential near-term project elements that local agencies could pursue separately — for example, extended trail segments on Hayden Avenue, widening Lancaster Road, and other intersection improvements.
What happens next: KMPO expects to publish a final study this fall and anticipates the four alternatives moving into the NEPA process; local agencies will be asked to coordinate on right-of-way planning, funding strategies and mitigation for nonmotorized users as designs advance.
