Ribbon cutting for new intersection near Ammon Target

Getting in and out of Target and other nearby stores in Ammon just got a bit easier with the completion of a new exit onto Hitt Road. The one way road which runs behind Target allows drivers to turn both North and South onto Hitt road.

“You have the heaviest season of the year right now going on. It’s going to make a big big difference,” said Scott Bishop, the CFO for Woodbury Corporation who owns several of the retail properties in Ammon.

Several years ago, local leaders put up barriers and signs forcing drivers to only turn right or North out of the shopping district’s parking lot. The change drastically reduced the number of car accidents along Hitt Road, but made getting around difficult for anyone needing to drive south. Now drivers have a new option as they can turn left or right at the intersection of Hitt and 25th street.

“I’ve heard from a lot of people in the community that said ‘Hey, I love your store, but I don’t shop there very often because I can’t turn left out of the parking lot,'” saidEric Schreibeis, the Ammon Target store team lead. “I’m excited for the traffic flow into our store and the other businesses as well.”

For city leaders in Ammon and Idaho Falls, today’s ribbon cutting was the end result of months of collaboration meetings between the two cities. “It took a lot of cooperation which makes this entire ribbon cutting, this road opening, so exciting,” said Councilwoman Barbara Ehardt of Idaho Falls.

Ehardt and other City Council members said the initially it took time to simply decide what they wanted to do. “Early on I think there was some talk about some U-turns down on Hitt road and different things,” said Councilman Brad Christensen of Ammon. “I feel like there were several times where this whole project could have stalled out.”

Christensen says the big thing that changed the process was public involvement. “I felt like we had opposition and hesitance,” said Christensen. “But we did a public survey, and the results to which were phenomenal. We had 2,000 people respond in 24 hours and the demands were simple and clear, find a way to get it done.”

Initially cities and engineers had six different proposals to work with. “As we sat down and went through the process of what could happen if this light went here,” said Councilwoman Barbara Ehardt of Idaho Falls. “They saw this and said hey this could work, this could be a win-win.”

Once the proposal to create the one way exit was backed by both cities, crews worked quickly to finish the intersection and get it ready for the holiday shopping season. “It created a win for the entire community,” said Ehardt.