Traffic signals will change for Black Friday, Boise State football game

Friday will be a busy day in the Treasure Valley — one of the nation’s busiest shopping days and a Boise State football game.

The Ada County Highway District will put two special traffic signal-timing plans into action on Friday.

Shoppers will get extra green-light time at traffic signals near the Boise Towne Square Mall, which opens at 5 a.m. The timing plan for shoppers will go into effect by 4 a.m. and impact at least 10 intersections.

Traffic signals will favor vehicles entering the mall in the morning. There also will be extended green-light time to get people off of the Connector onto Franklin Road.

Signal times will change beginning as early as 10 a.m. as shoppers start to leave so traffic leaving the mall has more green-light time. The adjustments on Friday are part of ACHD holiday traffic signal timing adjustments that will be in effect through mid-January.

The most congested road at the mall the day after Thanksgiving is Milwaukee, especially at Emerald, and that intersection will get extra attention. As an alternative to Milwaukee, ACHD encourages drivers to use Cole Road or Emerald Street to access the mall.

Drivers also can expect congestion around the university as football fans pour in for the Boise State v. Nevada game, which kicks off shortly after 8 p.m.

To improve traffic congestion before and after the game, ACHD will adjust the signal times at more than 32 intersections around campus. The adjustments will be put in place around 6 p.m. and will change the length of red and green traffic signals. Signals also will be adjusted to make it easier for pedestrians to cross intersections near the stadium.

ACHD operates all of the traffic signals in Ada County. Staff monitor 74 traffic cameras to watch traffic conditions live and make adjustments as needed. To see the 74 ACHD traffic camera images, go to www.achd.ada.id.us/ATIS/Default.aspx or click on the link at right. Cameras are around the mall and near the Boise State campus.