Huetter Road bypass study set to be discussed

A proposed Huetter Road freeway could carry 38,000 vehicles a day in 2030, easing traffic pressure on U.S. Highway 95 and state Highway 41. But building it would require significant right of way between Interstate 90 in Post Falls and state Highway 53 in Rathdrum, and could limit development along its length.

Work is wrapping up on a study of how much right of way is needed for the Huetter corridor after several public meetings last month.

As envisioned, the corridor would be a high-speed, four-lane, limited access freeway with a pedestrian and bike path and a frontage road on its western side. Interchanges are planned for I-90, arterials between Poleline and Lancaster avenues and at the intersection of highways 53 and 95.

The right-of-way study is an early step in the process, which would also require environmental studies, design work, funding and public buy-in to come to fruition.

Public comment on the right-of-way study is due to the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization today.

Those comments will be compiled by study author and consultant Ruen-Yeager & Associates, said company transportation planner Christine Fueston.

Changes may be made based on those comments, Fueston said.

“Some people think it’s right on the money. Other people say, ‘Gosh, have you thought about this? We think Highway 41 is a better route.’ Some want to see it extended south to the (Spokane) river,” she said of comments so far.

Huetter corridor right-of-way needs would have an impact on neighboring property owners and could limit development along the corridor’s path if local jurisdictions adopt it as part of their comprehensive plans.

The corridor runs through Post Falls, Hayden, Coeur d’Alene, Rathdrum and Kootenai County.

A decision by any of those cities or the county to reject the corridor plan wouldn’t necessarily mean the highway couldn’t be built, but it might make right of way costs more expensive, Fueston said.

Coeur d’Alene City Councilwoman Dixie Reed has said the bypass is necessary because U.S. 95 in the metro area has grown into a slower, more clogged route than its design.

“It was changed, and we can’t put it back to what it was before,” Reed said in July.