Idaho Falls and Ammon move forward with Hitt and 17th intersection expansion
After years of discussions and months of planning, the cities of Idaho Falls and Ammon are moving forward with plans to expand the intersection of Hitt Road and 17th street.
“This is a historic agreement by both City Councils, and we thank them for their willingness to work together to solve what was a stalled project,” said Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper in a press release.
The cities agreed to split the funding of the $2.6 million project in a way that both councils agreed on. Ammon pledged $1 million, or just over 38% of the projected construction costs. Idaho Falls agreed to fund $1.6 million of the projects cost or around 62% of the cost.
During today’s meeting, most Idaho Falls city council members thought those numbers were a fair compromise between the two cities. Council Member Ed Marohn pointed out that initially the cities looked at splitting the costs for the project very differently. Idaho Falls wanted a 50/50 split with Ammon on costs, as Hitt road acts as the dividing line between the two cities and a lot of Ammon businesses are based off that road. In Ammon, some council members only wanted to pay for 25% of the costs, as Ammon only controls one road of the intersection and has a smaller tax base.
“It’s such a huge step forward as Idaho Falls and Ammon find ways to make it work,” said Barbara Ehardt, an Idaho Falls City Council member. “We’re addressing huge problems of safety, and certainly addressing problems of traffic, and you can’t put a price on that.”
Drivers will start to see changes as soon as October, as Rocky Mountain Power plans to move several power poles in anticipation for the project. Major construction work is expected to begin in the spring of 2017.
