More than $1B in Idaho highway projects meant for growth put on ‘unfunded’ list
Nearly 70 highway projects across the state could be on hold indefinitely as the Idaho Transportation Department braces itself for the possibility of losing more than $1 billion in state funding over the next seven years.
The transportation department on Wednesday unveiled its draft seven-year plan, which placed nearly $1.3 billion worth of planned highway work into an “unfunded” category, effectively freezing the projects until funds are restored or new funds are found.
An additional $1.5 billion worth of congestion mitigation projects are expected to not advance through the state’s bonding process, according to planning documents from ITD.
Many of these are major construction and expansion projects intended to keep up with the effects of rapid population growth on highways across the Gem State. In Southwest Idaho, more than $500 million worth of projects made the proposed “unfunded” list.
The move comes after the Legislature pulled the plug on $275 million in funding for transportation infrastructure for the upcoming fiscal year, including $165 million for state highways and $110 million for local highway districts.
ITD’s latest plans take into account that fund, called the Strategic Initiatives Fund, remaining at zero dollars through 2033.
Big highway projects on back burner as focus turns to maintenance
Since Gov. Brad Little foreshadowed zeroing out the Strategic Initiatives Fund in January, ITD officials have been steeling themselves for a contraction of highway programming. At that time, department spokesperson John Tomlinson told the Idaho Statesman that if the cuts were realized, ITD would be shifting to “more of an operation-focus.”
Pavement preservation and striping, bridge and guardrail repairs, and filling potholes would be the priority, Tomlinson said.
“We want to make sure we’re ... doing all those things that are going to help maintain, operate and preserve the state system that we already have now,” he said.
Tomlinson noted that the fund, which in 2025 made up roughly 18% of ITD’s revenue, was designed to supplement funding for and therefore accelerate large-scale congestion mitigation projects, which are otherwise funded primarily funded through sales tax revenue. Losing the strategic-initiatives funding would mean that new construction projects — including those intended to address growth-related congestion — would likely need to take a back seat, he said.
Now, after the cuts were authorized by the Legislature, ITD is tasked with determining which projects would need to go on the back burner.
“I probably will sound like a broken record ... but this unprecedented growth that the state has experienced the last few years is putting a tremendous demand on the state highway system and on the local system,” Amy Schroeder, ITD’s highway division administrator, said in a June board meeting presenting the proposed plan to implement the cuts.
The proposal included moving 68 highway projects to an “early development” — or unfunded — category. Twelve more projects would not move forward to bond through the state’s congestion-mitigation funding program, called TECM. Together, the list added up to nearly $2.8 billion worth of work.
Schroeder said that ITD planned to “keep project development moving to the greatest extent possible,” meaning that it would continue spending money on things like design and environmental studies on projects that are “unfunded.” Officials are also “aggressively pursuing” the possibility of grant funding for expansion projects, she said.
The hope is continuing those planning and design processes would allow highway projects to “be ready when revenue is restored in the coming years,” Schroeder said.
But there’s only so long ITD could keep that up, she said.
Tomlinson noted in an interview with the Statesman that the recommendation not to issue bonds for projects would need to be approved by ITD’s board and could change. Projects that are already funded and under construction, like the highly anticipated Idaho 16 extension, would not be affected, he said.
What highway projects could be ‘unfunded’ near you?
In ITD’s District 3, encompassing Southwest Idaho, a total of 14 projects are proposed to be unfunded, including TECM projects that wouldn’t go to bond, according to the draft plan.
Here are the Boise-area projects that made the list:
To view the entire statewide list of projects and more details about them, you can download the draft plan on ITD’s website.
What’s next? And how can you weigh in?
On Wednesday, the transportation department opened its public comment period for the seven-year plan, which includes a dedicated $200 million for pavement work and $100 million for bridge work per year, according to a news release from ITD.
Through July 31, ITD is accepting feedback through an interactive map and comment portal on its website.
Comments can also be emailed to itipcomments@itd.idaho.gov, called in at 208-334-8063 or mailed to Brianna Fernandez at P.O. Box 7129, Boise, ID 83707.
Results from the public comment — and any changes to the plan that the feedback spurs — will be presented to ITD’s board in a September meeting. During that meeting, the board is expected to vote on the final seven-year plan.
