Compelled to respond to Andy Hedden-Nicely, “ACHD — What is going on at ACHD?” The “dog-bone” traffic circle is the best possible solution to the traffic problems at the complex five-legged intersection at 36th and Hill. Traffic studies have shown the need to improve this intersection since at least 1995. U.S. Department of Transportation statistics show that, as compared to a standard intersection, roundabouts result in a 90 percent reduction in fatalities, 76 percent reduction in injuries and 35 percent reduction in pedestrian accidents; and this roundabout is the perfect solution for this intersection. As to the Broadway Bridge, this bridge with a sufficiency rating of 18.3 (the lowest of any bridge over the Boise River since at least 1990) is both structurally deficient and functionally obsolete and has been badly in need of replacement for many years. One of the justifications for building the West ParkCenter Bridge was so it could be used as a bypass while the Broadway Bridge was being replaced. Doing this and closing Broadway to all traffic will save a lot money and significantly shorten the project time as compared to maintaining traffic on Broadway.
L. Kent Brown, former manager of engineering, ACHD, Garden City
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