8th Street cars went away and won’t come back another day. Here’s why
After closing 8th Street downtown to cars three years ago, Boise officials now plan to leave the street off-limits to traffic and make alterations to the road more permanent.
For a project set to begin this fall, the city plans to remove the orange barriers where 8th intersects with Main, Idaho and Bannock streets, according to a Tuesday presentation from Tessa Greegor, the mobility and public spaces manager for the city.
Since being closed to cars, the several blocks south of the Capitol and north of the Grove Plaza have become a popular destination for foot traffic, with bustling restaurants and bars and passersby staying well into the night.
To help them, Greegor said the city will spend $650,000 to install new crosswalk markings, installing truncated domes — those bright, bumpy plastic features that are often along sidewalks — and to move pedestrian crossing buttons and ramps, Greegor said.
Construction is tentatively expected to begin in October and continue into November. Residents can expect partial lane closures, and pedestrian access to the corridor will be maintained, Greegor said.
The project may include removing green bicycle-lane and other traffic striping that dates from the street’s use for cars, Greegor added.
A second phase of construction could include changes to how restaurant patios are laid out and where bicycle parking is located, Greegor said.
The city’s 2024 budget includes $350,000 to plan what improvements should be made, and the decision making is expected to include public engagement, Greegor said.
Further south, officials are also planning to redesign where 8th Street intersections with the Anne Frank Memorial, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 6:08 PM.
