ITD announces changes to U.S. 95 project, moves design into ‘proposed action’ phase

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

The Idaho Transportation Department has again revised its plan for rebuilding a six-mile corridor of U.S. Highway 95 from Dufort Road to Lakeshore Drive, which marks a finalized “preferred concept” for the project.

An overhead view of the Lakeshore Drive/Highway 95 corridor plans from ITD. Courtesy image

According to the department, community input and engineering and environmental analyses over the years have resulted in the preferred concept, which will become ITD’s “proposed action.”

Following a period of public comment in October, the department removed a proposed underpass at Algoma Spur Road and Ivy Drive and relocated it to Sagle Road. In addition, the plan now includes a new frontage road running along U.S. 95 across from Ivy Drive.

The U.S. 95 Dufort-Lakeshore project has been in the planning stages for years, with analysis dating back to the late-1990s and early-’00s that has resulted in an envisioned four-lane divided highway concept that would include interchanges at Dufort and Brisboy roads, and underpasses at Monarch and North Gun Club roads and Sagle Road.

The frontage roads would enable access to locations including Sagle Elementary School, Sagle Fire Station, Bottle Bay Road and Lakeshore Drive, while a 10-foot-wide shared-use pathway would connect to the existing Long Bridge underpass.

While the proposed action has been finalized, ITD is still a long way from realizing the project. Environmental reevaluation and preliminary design plans are expected to be complete in 2026, with each phase of the project needing to be finalized and right-of-way acquired for the highway expansion. 

“Currently, funding is not identified for the final design and construction of this project,” ITD stated on its website, promising that it will update with more information as the timeline and process continues.

Combined with the process of securing a final design and securing right of way, it’s estimated that the U.S. 95 Dufort-Lakeshore project could be as far as 15 years from its groundbreaking, according to previous statements from officials.

For more information — including maps and links to previous studies — go to itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/us-95-dufort-to-lakeshore. Direct questions and comments to  info@us95duforttolakeshore.org or 208-243-9326.