The busiest non-interstate highway in Idaho may soon have a lower speed limit — sometimes
Eagle Road in Meridian has experienced an average of 398 crashes every year since 2019, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.
ITD is proposing a two-year pilot project that would introduce variable speed limits on four miles of Idaho’s busiest non-Interstate highway during peak travel times.
The proposal includes additional safety signs, the prohibition of left turns that have no traffic signals, and the variable speed limits, ITD Public Information Officer Sophia Miraglio told the Idaho Statesman in an email.
The pilot project area would stretch from State Highway 44 south to Interstate 84, a 6½-mile stretch with 18 traffic signals, Miraglio said. The variable speed limits would be installed on the four-mile stretch from Franklin Road to Chinden Boulevard “at least every mile,” she said.
About 60,000 vehicles travel on Eagle Road, which is a segment of State Highway 55, each day, twice as many as in 2000, according to ITD.
How variable limits would work
The variable speed limit signs would have an embedded LED number panel that would allow ITD to set daily times for “cautionary” reduced speed limit of 45 mph, Miraglio said. At nonpeak times, the signs would revert to 55 mph, the current limit.
Such signs have been used in temporary construction zones on Interstate 84 in Canyon County and the Magic Valley, Miraglio said.
This would be the first variable speed limit corridor on a six-mile long, signalized urban highway corridor in the United States, according to ITD.
Miraglio said ITD does not expect that the variable speed limits would have a big impact on driving times, because traffic is already slower during congested hours. Instead, it would “provide drivers safety information to increase their awareness to help reduce crashes,” she said.
ITD, mayor still differ over speed limits
Meridian Mayor Robert Simison has pushed ITD to lower the speed limits.
“While it has taken a year to get here, I appreciate ITD bringing an innovative solution to safety concerns on Eagle Road to their board for consideration,” Simison said in his 2024 State of the City address on June 5.
Simison said this is “a much-needed change to improve safety and allow enforcement by our officers when necessary.” He said the city hopes to lower the speed limit on Eagle road to 45 mph “full time in the near future.”
But ITD and Simison are still not on the same page.
City spokesperson Stephany Galbreaith told the Idaho Statesman that most people who have contacted the city about Eagle Road “have been in favor of slower speeds.” Lower speed limits would lessen the risk and impact of accidents, Galbreaith said by email.
Miraglio said lower speed limits alone don’t necessarily increase safety, which is “a challenging misperception.” She said maintaining smooth traffic flow increases safety.
“Distracted drivers” on State Highway 55 are a factor in the high number of crashes every year, Miraglio said.
“There are significant portions of the day and night which are not congested,” Miraglio said. “The speed limits will not be revised.”
What happens next
ITD said it plans to hold two public meetings on the proposed pilot project to gather feedback from residents and businesses in August. Dates and times are still to be determined.
If the plan moves ahead, the additional safety signage and removal of unsignalized left turns would be implemented this fall and winter, while the variable speed limit system would be installed in the spring or early summer 2025, according to Miraglio.
The results from the pilot project and the public’s suggestions will determine what’s next for Eagle Road, Miraglio said.
ITD has not decided how the success of the pilot project would be measured, but it has a “robust” data collection system to keep track of the results, she said.
This story was originally published July 24, 2024 at 11:27 AM.
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