City to host open house on Fifth and Pine stoplight project

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

The long-running — and frequently controversial — East-West Connection project between U.S. Highway 95 and U.S. 2 is getting underway with an open house Thursday, Feb. 22 at City Hall Council Chambers (1123 W. Lake St.).

Members of the public are invited to attend the open house, which will take place in two “drop-in” sessions from noon-1 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. with city staff on hand to answer questions.

The overall project is intended to ease traffic flow and improve the connection between U.S. 95 and U.S. 2 — focusing specifically on the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Pine Street.

The traffic signal currently located at Fifth and Church Street will be relocated a block to the south at Fifth and Pine and converted into a full-access, signalized intersection. The intersection at Fifth and Church will then be controlled by stop signs.

Meanwhile, Pine will revert to two-way travel between Fifth and Fourth avenues and the U.S. 2 intersections at Euclid and Sixth avenues will only allow right turns in and out.

“This adjustment aims to improve safety at these key junctions,” the city stated in an announcement for the open house. 

The changes come after a lengthy and contentious public conversation that kicked off in February 2023 when the council considered changes to the “long-term” East-West Connection concept that included a major realignment of U.S. 2 from North Boyer Avenue to Fifth and Cedar Street via the “Couplet” or “Curve,” as it was also known.

Following widespread opposition, the council agreed to shelve the long-term concept in favor of the “short-term” version, and voted in August to enter a memorandum of understanding with the Idaho Transportation Department to make the stoplight relocation from Fifth and Church to Fifth and Pine. 

“Community feedback has played a pivotal role in shaping this project, with concerns about cut-through traffic in south Sandpoint, signal timing on Church Street at Fifth Avenue, and the one-way section of Pine Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenue being addressed,” the city stated in a news release.

For more info and updates on the project, go to sandpointidaho.gov under the “News & Announcements” section.