Civic leaders embrace Sand Creek Byway

SANDPOINT — June 29 is a day some people thought couldn’t get here soon enough and others hoped never would.

The date marks the day the Sand Creek Byway will dedicated after nearly a century of divisive debate over the best way to relieve traffic congestion in the greater Sandpoint area.

While the U.S. Highway 95 rerouting project isn’t expected to open until next month, the ceremony celebrates completion of the largest and complex highway construction project in Idaho history.

Although debate over the effectiveness and aesthetics of the $100 million project will likely endure, it is no longer an abstract concept.

It is a fact of life.

And it’s being embraced by community leaders throughout the Panhandle.

“I’m really excited about it,” said Sandpoint Mayor Marsha Oglivie.

Ogilvie admits she was initially opposed to the project and remembers when she and her husband would walk along the placid creek to their former candy store on the Cedar Street Bridge, marveling at the lush foliage filtering the morning sunlight.

“I thought I’d just died and gone to heaven. I didn’t want to change any of it,” said Ogilvie, who has lived here since 1994.

But her position evolved over time, partly because of her husband, Francis, who served on the City Council before she was elected. Francis Ogilvie, in addition to other city and business leaders, insisted a southbound off-ramp be added to the project so motorists would have easy access to the city and its various charms.

“The bypass would have been an actual bypass, but because of the south off (ramp), people can actually see what Sandpoint has to offer,” she said.

The prospect of regaining control of downtown streets and shifting tractor-trailer traffic out of the core only sweetened the deal in the mayor’s eyes.

“It took a long time for me to be convinced that it would be what’s best for Sandpoint in the long run,” Ogilvie said.

Ponderay Mayor Carol Kunzeman also supports the project, although she admits its impact on the city remains a little unclear in her mind.

“I’m not exactly sure how that is going to affect us. I don’t know if it’s going to be more traffic or less traffic,” said Kunzeman.

But Kunzeman is not afraid of the unknown and is working with her colleagues on the City Council to be ready for anything.

“Just to be safe, we’d better be prepared. They’re coming our way and they’re coming fast, and we have to be on top of it,” said Kunzeman.

The city is developing a traffic circulation study and a master streets plan, in addition to priming itself for transportation grants should the need arise.

“As a city, we’re trying to get ahead of that impact,” Kunzeman said.

Kunzeman suspects southbound traffic patterns will change little since the city serves as the northern gateway to the project, but isn’t necessarily convinced it will receive a glut of northbound traffic as some predict.

Between the blue accent lighting, dedicated non-motorized pathways and countless other design flourishes, both mayors said they are impressed with the overall look of the project.

“It exceeded my expectations,” said Ogilvie.

Kunzeman added that lead project Parsons RCI acquitted itself admirably and was responsive to community needs during the four years of construction.

“I can’t say enough about the Parsons construction group. They’ve done a fabulous job and they were easy to work with,” said Kunzeman. “I’m going to miss them when they’re gone.”

Although a 32-mile-long ribbon of asphalt separates greater Sandpoint from Bonners Ferry, leaders in the latter community have been strong supporters of the byway.

Bonners Ferry Mayor David Anderson did not respond to a request for comment on the byway, but former Mayor Darrel Kerby has a lengthy track record of supporting the project.

“The real issue is life safety for us,” said Kerby.

Kirby said the community, because of weather or other factors, sometimes has to rely on emergency ground transportation to gain access to hospitals in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane, Wash. But ambulances have little choice but to contend with knotted or slowed traffic through Sandpoint.

“It can add as many as — at the wrong time — 20 minutes-plus to a trip where time is of the essence in saving lives. Given just that singular issue alone, the project’s completion will be priceless,” said Kerby.

Kerby concedes that some Boundary County residents simply skipped doing business in Sandpoint and preferred to put the city in their rear-view mirrors because of the traffic headaches.

“It became to where they couldn’t wait to get through Sandpoint as opposed to stopping and doing business on their way to other locations,” he said.