Addressing the problems with high-traffic intersections

We all know where those traffic choke points are. Often we go to great lengths to avoid them. Almost every city of a decent size has that one area of traffic. Some in particular stand out as being particularly awful, especially during rush hour.

“The intersection of Hitt and 17th is particularly bad,” said Kent Fugal, the city engineer for Idaho Falls. “The traffic demand there exceeds the ability of the intersection to service that demand. The result of that is backed-up traffic.”

Frustration about the Hitt and 17th intersection isn’t too hard to find either. “I hardly ever even try to come this way just because it’s so bad,” said Tanner Bush.

“I go the other way if at all possible,” said Michele Harris, who works at one of the stores near the infamous intersection. “And that turn from Hitt to 17th going left is a bad turn.”

Idaho Falls and Ammon both said they’re working on a solution to the intersection and hope to make the crossroads a bit more like the Hitt and Sunnyside intersection.

“What we would like to accomplish at that location is to widen the intersection to be able to have dual left-turn lanes at all of the approaches,” said Fugal. “We also want to have right-turn bays on at least three of the approaches.”

Fugal said they could have a right-turn lane on that fourth approach, but said right-of-way laws with the landowners make it difficult to say for sure if that will actually happen.

While the Hitt and 17th intersection draws ire from people living in the area, it doesn’t have a monopoly in the bad intersection category.

The junction of U.S. 20 and I-15 is another bad spot that backs up horribly during rush hour. Fugal said this intersection is a particular concern for the state as traffic can back up onto the interstate. This creates a dangerous driving hazard as semis traveling at 65 miles per hour blow past cars that are at a standstill.

Fugal said the city, as well as several other nearby cities, are working with the Idaho Transportation Department to find a long-term solution. “It’s a key part of the area’s road infrastructure, and it’s just going to get more important as time goes on,” said Fugal.

In Pocatello, the intersections of Alameda and Yellowstone, as well as Alameda and Jefferson, can get really backed up. “So Alameda Jefferson, that intersection, the city actually just received a safety audit of that intersection back in December,” said Logan McDougall, Pocatello’s public information officer. “Now city staff are reviewing that audit, and they will be making their recommendations on what should be done.”

McDougall said the city is also aware of the problem with Alameda and Yellowstone but can’t act as quickly as that intersection is run and maintained by the ITD. “But because it is a main intersection in town and would greatly impact our community, they (ITD) are involving us very heavily in that process,” said McDougall

Rexburg has three intersections that are known to get fairly busy, with two of them being the South and Central interchanges with U.S. 20.

“We’re working with ITD on the two interchanges to see what can be done to create better traffic flow,” said John Millar, the public works director for Rexburg. He also said the change is needed now as turning left off U.S. 20 becomes almost impossible sometimes during rush hour, leading to traffic backing up all the way to the state highway.

The other frustrating Rexburg traffic point is the intersection of Main and 2nd East in town. “We just finished a synchronization on the traffic signals,” said Millar. “So theoretically you can go from one end of town to another without hitting a red light, if you drive it right.”

Millar said the city does not have any immediate plans to change the Main and 2nd East intersection. He did say they’ll be looking at creating an alternative north/south to alleviate future traffic congestion several years from now.