Idaho Transportation Dept. approves Siphon Road interchange
City and county leaders in Bannock County are celebrating some good news Thursday. Chubbuck Mayor Kevin England and Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad took to Facebook to share the news Thursday afternoon.
“Mayor Blad and I just came from an ITD meeting where we got some really exciting news we want to share with the community,” England started.
“What they did is went ahead and made the motion, they passed the motion unanimously and we are going to get the Siphon Interchange built,” Blad finished, as both mayors gave the news a thumbs-up.
The Idaho Transportation Board unanimously voted to approve the project on Thursday. According to Blad, ITD and Bannock County Commissioner Chairman Evan Frasure, the Siphon interchange is now the largest public-private partnership ever done in Idaho.
While the real leg work specifically began on Siphon Road in early 2016, Frasure said an interchange like this has been something the county has tried to bring about since 1992.
The overall project would connect will connect parts of north Pocatello and Chubbuck to Interstate 15 near Siphon Road.
“This interchange is something that is needed in this community and this is really a unique public-private partnership,” said Vincent Trimboli, communications manager for ITD. “So I think that’s why the board understood the important of this project, because of the excitement from the local community and what it means for both mobility in the area and bringing greater economic opportunity.”
The partnership includes ITD, Bannock County, City of Chubbuck, City of Pocatello, Pocatello Development Authority and Millennial Development.
All those involved feel the interchange opens up a lot of possibilities, like easier access and better safety for drivers.
“There’s Yellowstone and Pocatello, which as far was we rate roads, they’re some of the most highly-congested in the state,” Trimboli explained. “So we hope that this would take some of the congestion away from those.”
“It does help move people out of the area, it does help people get to and from their homes, it helps people get to and from the wellness center, and anytime there’s a concert it will now open that avenue out as well,” Blad added. “We’re excited to be a part of that.”
Frasure said there is about 20,000 acres of ground that will be developed as part of the interchange project. This will help both county and city development and growth.
Frasure said what is now county roads would in part become city roads. With the addition of a few new roads to connect with the interchange, it will allow both Pocatello and Chubbuck to be able to annex with the county on those roads and have a flowing interchange, as well as a working relationship for development in the area.
“For Bannock County, this is by far the largest economic development in the history of Bannock County,” Frasure said. “This opens the door for so many people that have been begging to be able to locate in Pocatello. What they had to have was access. All our other exchanges were already overcrowded. This opens up new territory and huge economic boom not only for Bannock County but for all of Eastern Idaho.”
The cost for the interchange is $8.4 million. Millennial development will pay $3.4 million and ITD will pay the remaining $5 million. The remaining partners will split the costs of building the connecting infrastructure.
Both Blad and Frasure said they hope to start construction next spring. Frasure said the county’s goal is to have the interchange completed by the end of 2018.
Trimboli said there is no definite timeline yet as there are still a lot of steps that need to be taken. But he said ITD is excited to be a part of this project.
“We really took our time, the right amount of time, to make sure that we had the right agreement to move forward,” Trimboli added.
