Hundreds turn out to Bonneville County expressway proposal open house

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Hundreds of people showed up at an open house Tuesday night. The Bonneville Metropolitan Planning Organization is studying future transportation needs for the greater Idaho Falls area.

Traffic planners wanted public input on a proposal for an expressway south of Idaho Falls and eastward into Ammon. Different plans were laid out to show the designs to help with future traffic challenges. The organization wants to plan ahead for traffic demands 25 years into the future.

Many landowners are opposed to the planned route because it will cut through their properties.

"Their proposal would completely wipe out half of my pasture land where we currently have cows and some sheep and a hayfield. And the reason we bought that in 2021 was because of the water rights for the canal and the the private well," said Ellen Pritchett, a land owner in the area.

BMPO will take Tuesday night's feedback and will finalize the plans by the end of the year.