[Vision2020] Re: Highway 95 route study

[Bill London]

In response to my recent V2020 posting about the Highway 95 meetings scheduled for November 3 and 4, I just received the message below from Rosemary Curtin (the PR consultant hired by the Idaho Dept of Transportation).
The IDT is going to all this trouble because they have to.  They lost a lawsuit and now have to do a complete Environmental Impact Statement on the Highway 95 project. 
Part of the EIS process is the study of secondary and cumulative effects of the decision.  The official analysis must include those effects.  In this case, the EIS must include the larger issue of how the routing of Highway 95 would connect to a future system of ring roads or a bypass around the city of Moscow.
I am glad to see that information about both the ring roads and the bypass will now be included in the meetings.
What remains to be seen is whether or not the ring roads and bypass issues will ever be discussed and shaped in a public fashion or if the decisions on those transportation alternatives have already been made for us.
BL
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Rosemary Curtin 
  To: Bill London 
  Cc: Ken Helm ; Gwen Smith 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 10:47 AM
  Subject: Re: Highway 95 route study


  Bill,

  Thanks for your email. You have raised legitimate concerns. 

   

  You are correct that the U.S. 95 Thorncreek Road to Moscow study is focused on a 6.5-mile stretch of the roadway, but the Idaho Transportation Department is involved in the larger issues you bring up.  

   

  The department has completed the Moscow Transportation Study and is continuing to work with the city of Moscow on its Ring Road Concept. Information from both of these projects will be presented at next week's public open house for U.S. 95 Thorncreek Road to Moscow.

   

  The meetings are Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 3 and 4 from 1:30-3 p.m. and 5:30-8 p.m. at the Eastside Marketplace. We hope to see you there.

   

  Please let me know if you have any additional questions or need more information.

  Rosemary

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Bill London 
    To: thorncreekroadtomoscow at itd.idaho.gov ; rbci at cableone.net 
    Cc: vision2020 at whale2.fsr.net 
    Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2004 4:12 PM
    Subject: Highway 95 route study


    Ken Helm, Project Manager:

    Here we go again.

    The Idaho Dept. of Transportation is planning to study the route of a segment of Highway 95 -- again -- without a serious look at the larger, cumulative impacts of their decision.  

    From what I could find on your website, your study focuses entirely on the 7 mile segment of Highway 95 in question.  You do not include the larger impact.  You do not widen the study to include the vital discussion of the future of transportation in the Moscow area, including the issues of whether we will need or want ring roads or a Highway 95 bypass.

    The present discussion of the route of Highway 95 and the question of any future bypass (moving Highway 95 around Moscow) are directly linked.  Logically, we can not discuss this routing issue without first discussing the bypass issue.  

    You have the opportunity to facilitate the larger discussion of transportation in Moscow (highway route, bypass, and ring road system) that will enable sound decision-making.  Without that perspective, this EIS process is incomplete.

    Bill London
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