North Idaho Community Action Network

PO Box 1357   307 N. 2^nd  Ste 9
Sandpoint, ID 83864
(208) 255-2772
info@nican.info    www.nican.info

The Highway in Sand Creek

Fact Sheet: Ideas for Letters

Everyone agrees that we need to get the truck traffic out of downtown and reduce traffic at peak times.   According to ITD’s own decision documents, the Sand Creek Highway will not, nor is it intended to reduce traffic levels in Sandpoint:

ITD Record of Decision:  “Although the Traffic within Sandpoint is an indicator of a need for corrective action, the purpose of the proposed project is not to address the traffic in Sandpoint…. the purpose of this project is to improve the operation of a state highway facility.”

The highway in the creek is a 50-year old “solution” that doesn’t address present (much less future) traffic in town, by ITD’s own figures. 

Will the bypass remove the through-non-stop truck traffic??  Maybe…

Why has ITD refused to commit to giving the (Hwy 95) streets back to Sandpoint after the bypass is built? Is it because they anticipate having to shut down the bypass and divert traffic through town? 

Why are our elected officials not demanding that to be a part of the conditions for giving up the waterfront for the highway?  Does it make sense to spend $70 million (current cost projected by ITD) when all we get are “maybes” and “we don’t know” from ITD?

Does it make sense to destroy the town’s most valuable asset – its waterfront – by putting a highway between the town and the lake?  From the Marina north for 2700 feet, there will be a wall IN and along the creek.  There will be an elevated highway, with lights, and noise, and dust and signs on the entire eastern skyline of Sandpoint.  

Are there other viable long term and short term (interim) solutions to getting the truck traffic out of downtown? Yes…

ITD did not consider several through-town options that would re-route the through traffic away from downtown, or viable west side routes that would avoid the problems associated with the one they did look at and reject.

ITD has admitted that the Sand Creek Bypass will not solve long term transportation needs. Is this intelligent transportation planning for the town and community?

Is ITD ignoring negative impacts on Sandpoint’s economy during construction and long-term impacts due to loss of the waterfront amenities?  Yes…

A report by one of the Northwest’s most respected economic consulting firm, ECONorthwest, concluded that ITD failed to consider all of the economic impacts in its decision to build the Sand Creek Bypass  and that the cost-benefit analysis in the FEIS is flawed.  The report concluded that economic impacts of the Sand Creek bypass were not disclosed in ITD’s Economic Evaluations or their FEIS. 

The report, Economic Impacts of the Sand Creek Bypass- An Evaluation of the FEIS, was written by Terry Moore, a highly qualified economics analyst with ECONorthwest. The report states in the Summary:

The Bypass will diminish a unique community asset that would otherwise appreciate over time. The existing state of Sand Creek and the Lake Pend Oreille shoreline near downtown Sandpoint is a unique asset, and the value of this asset will appreciate over time. ITD is taking a risk in building the Bypass on the Sand Creek alignment by irreversibly dedicating this area to a highway use without an assessment of the value of the existing asset to the community. …As a practical matter, once the Bypass is built the natural, aesthetic, recreational, and economic benefits of the Sand Creek peninsula will be irretrievably lost.

The Summary also points out that:

The Bypass appears inconsistent with the community’s vision for downtown Sandpoint; alternatives could fit better. The FEIS presents conclusions on a range of impacts associated with the Bypass without assigning any weights to indicate the relative importance of particular impacts. One way to weight impacts is to compare them to the community’s vision for the future. Regional and national publications, such as Sunset Magazine, routinely cite Sandpoint’s natural amenities and quality of life. The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce recently received a grant from the Idaho Travel Council to conduct a median campaign that will “focus on the unique position Sandpoint holds in the destination vacation marketplace, promoting our position as a recently discovered, authentic, All-American vacation destination.” The stated purpose of the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association includes “creating a positive image for the Sandpoint business district by promoting it as an exciting place to live, shop, do business, visit and invest...” By degrading the natural and recreational amenity of Sand Creek, the

Bypass does not fit with the community’s vision for Sandpoint.

Smart economic development of Sand Creek’s waterfront has the potential to provide a huge tax base for the City of Sandpoint for the long term.  Look at what regional communities are doing with their waterfronts (Coeur d’Alene and Spokane).  This potential will be lost if the Sand Creek Highway is built.

Communities with a future embrace the waterways that flow through and along their towns. A vital urban community is one that recognizes the economic value and attractive lifestyle its natural setting offers. 

How many other towns have a downtown waterfront where you can watch bald eagles perching, hunting, and playing? The eagle perch trees along Sand Creek will be removed - the eagles will be gone from the downtown waterfront.