Idaho Falls leaders seek to ease congestion on Hitt Rd

Some major changes could be coming to Hitt Road as Idaho Falls city leaders look at options to ease congestion at the intersection of 17th Street and Hitt.

“It’s always packed,” said driver Annika Daldwin.

“I’ve seen a lot of wrecks here. It would be nice if they had it figured out a little better,” said driver Danny Hayes.

Friday morning, City Council held a special meeting to discuss the issue. While members don’t have many specifics, they are considering adding designated right-turn lanes.

“That involves construction and that involves obtaining more property to be able to do that,” said Mayor Rebecca Casper. “We learned today that construction would be so wide at five or six lanes that we’d have to have a custom-made signal arm.”

The city is also considering widening Hitt Road south of Sunnyside Road before the arrival of a Cabela’s store in May 2015.

“The amount of traffic is only increasing on Hitt Road and will only continue to increase,” said Idaho Falls councilman Thomas Hally.

Before Idaho Falls can decide what it will do, it must first meet with the city of Ammon.

Casper said she’s working to reschedule an April 18 meeting.