Hearing offers chance for comment on bypass

An upcoming public hearing will be one of the last opportunities to offer comment on a proposed highway bypass project for Sandpoint.

The Idaho Transportation Department hopes to begin work on the Sand Creek Byway in the fall, but permits are needed from both the Idaho Department of Lands and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The approvals are required because portions of the proposed U.S. Highway 95 bypass involve filling in nearly three acres of wetlands and construction in public waterways.

A Sandpoint bypass for Idaho’s primary north-south highway has been on the drawing board for more than a generation. Traffic congestion is growing worse with the region’s sustained real estate boom, but the project faces considerable opposition from residents who believe it will choke downtown business, destroy the aesthetics of the city’s center and harm aquatic life. State officials say the route will improve safety and travel time.

The $45 million three-year project would create a non-stop route through Sandpoint between downtown and the shore of Lake Pend Oreille. The route follows a railroad bed along Sand Creek and will pass closely between the Cedar Street Bridge, which houses Coldwater Creek’s retail outlet, and the historic Sandpoint railroad depot. A bicycle path also is planned along the shoreline.

Building the roadway will require massive amounts of fill material and the construction of two new bridges. Portions of Sand Creek and nearby wetlands also will be filled in with more than 64,000 cubic yards of rock, sand and concrete, according to project plans. The Idaho Transportation Department has already created 2.5 acres of wetlands at Sandpoint High School to help offset the construction. The agency also plans to create three “habitat enhancement areas” along the affected shoreline to help compensate for the loss of wetlands.

A public hearing on the permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Lands will be held Thursday, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Sandpoint High School, 410 S. Division Ave. After a brief presentation, public comments will be taken. The comments will play a role in the agencies’ final decision on granting a permit, according to a statement from A. Bradley Daly, chief of the Corps of Engineers’ regulatory division.

Comments also can be mailed to the Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, Regulatory Branch, 201 North Third Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362-1876. Comments are due Aug. 6.