It’s Boise’s most dangerous road. The city is out to learn why
A one-mile stretch of Fairview Avenue saw 350 accidents in five years. Now, Boise officials hope to figure out why.
Boise has announced a $1 million grant aimed at studying traffic on Fairview between Cole and Curtis roads. The west side stretch is Boise’s “highest injury corridor,” the city said in a Jan. 7 press release.
“I am committed to creating a city [where] every resident can move safely – to visit neighbors and friends, run errands and get to work and school,” Mayor Lauren McLean said in a statement. “At the city, we are pursuing every avenue possible to ensure that all residents can do just that, whether they choose to bus, bike, walk or drive.”
Though Boise is running the project, Rachel Bjornestad, spokesperson for the Ada County Highway District, told the Idaho Statesman that ACHD will support the city with “anything they need” to help the study.
At least one pedestrian has been killed on the segment this decade, according to data from Smart Growth America, an urban planning advocacy nonprofit. In August 2020, a car struck and killed a 38-year-old Boise man while he was crossing the street at the intersection of Fairview and Raymond Street about halfway between Cole and Curtis, the Statesman reported at the time.
Completed Idaho Transportation Department investigations found that 11 serious injuries occurred in the study area between 2020 and 2024, according to ITD data. Three of those happened in a 100-yard stretch around North Fisk Street.
The grant comes from a federal Department of Transportation program called “Safe Streets For All,” a five-year, $5 billion program tasked with preventing serious injuries and deaths on American roadways. Last year, the DOT awarded more than $982 million in grants to 581 communities, including five in Idaho. In addition to Boise’s grant, Idaho Falls, Jerome and Valley County each received money to develop safety plans for their roads. Burley won a grant for safety measures along its railroad line.
“Securing this grant furthers our work to create a safer city for everyone,” McLean said.