The entire Canyon County House delegation just came down to the Capitol press room and held a press conference with a message: They want the Senate to approve a highway bill, so the notoriously deteriorating stretch of I-84 in their county can get fixed. “We want a bill out of the Senate on highways, so we can get GARVEE and fix it,” said Rep. Rick Youngblood, R-Nampa. Added Rep. Gary Collins, R-Nampa, “We’re not leaving ‘til we get it.”

Rep. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, said, “We couldn’t get home anyway,” and the whole group laughed ruefully.

Reconstruction and widening of the freeway likely would be a $150 million project; it’s one of the GARVEE bonding priority corridors already identified in Idaho law.

“Transportation has been the No. 1 priority since the beginning of the session for the Canyon County delegation,” said Rep. Robert Anderst, R-Nampa. “We don’t want to adjourn without a transportation bill.”

Rep. Christy Perry, R-Nampa, said she’s concerned about the “safety factor,” saying, “I traveled that road last night, and there was an accident when I went through and another one after I went through.”

Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, said, “Negotiations are still taking place, a recently as 10 minutes ago. … They want to do something, we want to do something.”

He said, “The session’s not done yet.”