EAGLE, Idaho β A major road project is about to change how thousands of neighbors in Eagle get to school and work each day, with significant upgrades planned along Linder Road to address growing traffic concerns.
Kim Rust moved to Eagle in 2018 and lives just a quarter mile from three schools along Linder Road. Rust and her husband bought their house in 2014, anticipating retiring in the area after 30 years in Winnemucca, Nevada.
When asked about Eagle when she first arrived, Rust described a much different community than the one that exists today.
"It was a lot smaller. There wasn't as much traffic," Rust said.
In the last seven years, she's watched vacant lots turn into new subdivisions, bringing more people and more pressure on local roads.
"It got very busy. A lot of housing got built, and there are a lot of growing pains because of that," Rust said.
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The transformation has been dramatic for residents like Rust.
"We used to walk our dogs along the irrigation canal, and it was all empty lots, no housing, and now everything's full," Rust said.
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To keep up with that growth, the Ada County Highway District outlined upgrades to Linder Road from Highway 44 north to Floating Feather.
EJ Vitta, project manager for the upgrades, explained the driving force behind the improvements.
"Right now, with all the development going on and all the new subdivisions coming in, there's a lot of impact with traffic," Vitta said. "Primarily, this project was put in place just to help alleviate the current traffic congestion on Linder."
The project will widen the road to five lanes with two lanes going in each direction and one center turn lane. It will also add landscaped medians and lighting, and build 10-foot-wide multi-use paths on both sides for bikers and pedestrians.
"We have two multi-use paths that are going to be on both sides of Linder. They're going to be 10 ft wide, and that's for bike and pedestrian," Vitta said.
The intersection at Linder and Floating Feather will also see big changes, transforming into a roundabout complete with flashing crosswalks and bike ramps.
"The roundabout, each leg, it's going to have its own crossing for bikes and pedestrians as well," Vitta said.
Rust has been staying informed about the project through multiple channels.
"I signed up for the Ada County road district, I think that's what it's called, and I got on their mailing list so I would be informed of what was going to be happening," Rust said. "Our HOA has also sent out information for when they had the community outreach program last week, which is really informative."
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"I think it will help with the traffic because there is a lot of traffic being surrounded by three schools within a quarter mile of our home," Rust said.
As a former teacher, Rust understands the concerns about student safety during construction.
"I think student safety is a priority," Rust said. "Everybody's worried about their kids getting run over or hit by a car, and my only thing is for everybody to slow down because we do see the traffic every day, twice a day."
Vitta noted the current traffic backup issues that the roundabout should help address.
"Sometimes there's cars backed up a couple 100 yards just trying to get out of here, and that roundabout's going to really help speed things up," Vitta said.
Vitta explained the safety benefits of roundabouts over traditional intersections.
"One thing about roundabouts that are nice is they're a lot safer. I mean, any type of intersection, if there is, say, an accident, usually, it could be a T-bone accident," Vitta said. "With roundabouts, you really ease down on any accidents that could happen that could be major."
Rust is particularly looking forward to the roundabout improvements at Floating Feather.
"I think it's going to make it easier for everyone's commute with the traffic circle because right now it's a 4-way stop, and it's not very developed," Rust said.
Rust explains that it's difficult to make right turns onto Floating Feather. "It's a little bit scary because there's a drop-down there," Rust said.
The project will unfold in four phases, with a commitment to keep at least one lane open in each direction while school is in session.
"For the most part, the primary goal on this project is to keep a lane open in each direction. We understand the impacts on this project with two schools right across from each other," Vitta said. "We want to make sure that that happens in between peak hours, not right when the kids are getting in or kids are getting dropped off."
The timing of the project depends on the completion of another nearby road project.
"Right now, we're waiting on Palmer to open. Palmer is using Linder as a detour. We're not going to have two closures at the same time. That will not work," Vitta said.
ACHD has implemented traffic calming measures in surrounding neighborhoods to discourage cut-through traffic during construction.
"We have traffic calming throughout the neighborhoods. It consists of speed bumps and stop signs that hopefully help make people slow down," Vitta said.
If Palmer Lane reopens on time, construction on Linder could start as soon as Nov. 18th, with work expected to take up to a year.
"Our goal is Nov. 18th. But that being said, we're pushing Palmer really hard, and if there are delays, it might get pushed a couple of days," Vitta said.
