Owyhee Street Concept Study

Thank you for reviewing the Owyhee Street Concept Study information. Here, you will find information about what we heard from the May survey, the treatments under consideration, and two alternatives for Owyhee Street, Alpine Street to Overland Road. At the end, you will find a survey where you will be able to provide feedback on the alternative you prefer.

Please continue scrolling down to browse through the full content of the website or toggle to different sections using the navigation bar above.

While your comments are always welcome, they can best be used if received by October 3, 2024. If you need printed materials mailed to you or need to make other arrangements to answer your questions, please call 208-387-6100 | TTY 1-800-377-3529 and we will be happy to help you.

ACHD is hosting a public open house on September 26, 2024 from 6 -7 p.m., at South Junior High School at 3101 Cassia Street in Boise to share the proposed alternatives. The meeting format will be a self-guided open house with display boards, roll plots, and comment sheets.

If you have specific concerns about possible impacts to your property, please email   projects@achdidaho.org  or call Edinson Bautista at 208-387-6100.

An online survey was held in May of 2024 where we received over 251 responses with 654 visits to the project webpage.

The graph below summarizes what we heard from the respondents of the survey. The majority believe that Owyhee Street needs improvements in the form of safer crossings for bicyclists and pedestrians, a sidewalk on both sides, dedicated bike lanes, and slower speeds.

For more information please view the  Full Summary  of the public responses from the survey.

The two concepts presented reflect the public's top concerns received from the survey, except for dedicated bike lanes. After further review of the corridor, we found that by accommodating sidewalk, parking, and bike lanes there would be significant impacts to the existing landscape, trees, and utilities. To minimize impacts, but continue to support the bicycle users, other treatments were evaluated. 

Both alternatives allow us to stay within the existing street widths, minimizing tree and property impacts.  

In the survey, the public will be able to select and comment on which alternative they prefer - Alternative 1, Alternative 2, or Neither (No Build).

Alternative 1 breaks down Owyhee Street into segments. Each segment, while having many similarities, has different treatments.

• Narrow travel lanes
• Add sharrows (shared lane markings) to designate a shared travel lane for both bicyclists and motorists
• On-street parking on both sides of the street
• Traffic calming elements including adding pinch points/chokers and speed cushions at select locations
• Install bulb-outs for pedestrian safety
• Add safe and  ADA  compliant pedestrian crossings
• Reduce posted speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph

Alternative 2 has consistent treatments throughout the corridor, with slightly different vehicle lane and sidewalk widths on each segment.

• Sidewalk on both sides
• Add sharrows (shared lane markings) to designate a shared travel lane for both bicyclists and motorists
• On-street parking on west side of the street
• Add safe and ADA compliant pedestrian crossings
• Reduce posted speed limit
• Add or maintain intersection bulb-outs along the west side

Speed cushions are elevated sections of the road with cutouts for wheels, designed to slow down passenger cars but allow emergency vehicles to pass through more easily.

• Reduces vehicle speeds
• Allows emergency vehicles to pass relatively uninterrupted

• Drivers may change routes to avoid speed cushions, leading to increased traffic on adjacent streets

• Alternative 1

Curb extensions, which widen sidewalks or incorporate planter strips, narrow the street to reduce traffic speeds. These are usually installed mid-block to create a localized reduction in lane width.

• Reduces vehicle speeds
• Provides additional spaces for trees or planters

Challenges

• Require some parking removal
• Require evaluation of existing drainage conditions

• Alternative 1

Narrowing vehicle lanes to a width less than the standard 12 feet. Some studies suggest that for every foot of lane narrowing, speeds can decrease by about 1 to 3 mph.

• Reduces vehicle speeds
• Decreases stress for bicyclists and pedestrians
• Allows us to keep the existing street width, but still reconfigure the street to include facilities for all users while minimizing adjacent property impacts

• May lead to increased drivers stress

• Alternative 1
• Alternative 2

An extension of the curb or sidewalk into the street, usually, at an intersection, that narrows the road, inhibits fast turns, and shortens the crossing distance for pedestrians

• Reduces vehicle speeds
• Increases pedestrian visibility
• Shortens crossing distances for pedestrians
• Reduces vehicle turning speeds

• Bulbouts tend to interfere with existing drainage patterns, leading to water pooling or flooding if not designed properly

• Alternative 1
• Alternative 2

After reviewing the proposed alternatives, fill out the community feedback survey!

Public involvement is an important part of developing concepts for this study and there will be several more opportunities to provide feedback in addition to this public meeting.

For questions or more information, contact:

Edinson Bautista, ACHD Senior Transportation Planner

208-387-6100 or TTY: 1-800-377-3529 |  projects@achdidaho.org 

To arrange for a translator or other accommodation, contact ACHD at (208) 387-6100 | TTY: 1-800-377-3529 |  projects@achdidaho.org 

Se les recomienda a las personas que necesiten un intérprete o arreglos especiales q ue llamen a la coordinadora de participación pública, al (208) 387-6100 | TTY 1-800-377-3529 | projects@achdidaho.org.