MERIDIAN, Idaho — Neighbors along a stretch of Ten Mile Road in South Meridian say pedestrian safety infrastructure is not keeping pace with rapid growth in the area, as new homes and businesses bring more people — and more traffic — to the corridor.
Residents say pedestrians, cyclists, and families are regularly sharing the road shoulder with vehicles along the section of Ten Mile Road between Overland and Deer Flat, where no sidewalks currently exist.
Jacki Swift, who lives near the Ten Mile and Amity area, said she sees the problem nearly every day.
WATCH South Meridian neighbors raise Ten Mile Road sidewalk safety concerns
"Almost every day, when I leave our community, there's somebody at some point on Ten Mile either on a bike or walking without any sidewalks," Swift said.
Swift said the situation is personal for her family.
"I have a disabled teenager and I know he would love to just walk to that Chevron to get a slushie but he doesn't obviously because it's just not safe. Which is unfortunate," Swift said.
Amy Felix, another Meridian neighbor who lives near the area, said she encountered the problem firsthand while walking her dogs.
"I just tried to walk my dogs off of Locust Grove here...we're like kind of next to the fence hoping we don't get hit by a car," Felix said.
Felix said the lack of sidewalks has also limited outdoor activities for her children, who she keeps within their subdivision for safety. Family bike rides have become a logistical challenge.
"We talked about biking together as a family, but where would we bike? We'd probably have to walk our bikes on these busy roads until we can get onto some sort of concrete or some sort of sidewalk just to stay safe," Felix said.
The Ada County Highway District confirmed that while there are plans to improve sections of Ten Mile Road near Deer Flat next year, the South Meridian segment does not yet have dedicated funding or a firm timeline for improvements.
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"We don't have any dollars allocated to this segment. But once we accomplish those intersections, we're going to look at finding dollars to go towards those segments," Aaron Williams, planning supervisor with ACHD, said.
Williams noted that infrastructure updates often come alongside funding tied to future developments, a model intended to ensure growth helps pay for the infrastructure it requires.
ACHD's 5-year plan is open for public comment through August 20. You can find it here on ACHD's website.
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