ACHD decides the future of State Street

The Ada County Highway District is progressing with major renovations on State Street, incorporating public feedback to enhance safety and usability.

• The next phase, from 8th Street to 14th Street, is set to enter the design phase, with construction projected to begin in 2026.
• ACHD aims to create a safer and more accessible corridor for pedestrians and bikers, marking one of the biggest investments in downtown Boise's infrastructure in years.
• You can find more information on the ACHD project here.
  

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)

No matter where you go in downtown Boise, the sounds of growth are all around. And with the city of Boise rapidly developing, so are its streets.

“We were trying to take into context not only what is, you know, really the feel and use along State Street today, but trying to predict and, you know, look out for the next 50 years, 100 years of what is the future potential of State Street with these major developments,” says ACHD Project Manager Tom Law.

The Ada County Highway District has been periodically updating portions of State Street, with construction currently underway from 4th Street to 8th Street. Up next? 8th Street to 14th Street. ACHD is enlisting the public for feedback.

“There were really two main themes when we heard from the public when we were doing outreach. The first was the desire for safer crossings,” says Law. Data from the Idaho Transportation Department shows that a number of pedestrian-related accidents have occurred on these indicated blocks, including one deadly accident in 2023.

“And the second was for safer turning movements,” says Law. That data also indicates the most common crash type as angle and turning incidents.

The commission ultimately settled on a concept that includes a 3-lane cross-section, with one travel lane in both directions, a center turn lane, plus shared-use paths for pedestrians and bikers on either side. Now that the concept has been selected, the project moves into the design phase.

So how does this line up with the already existing work seemingly spanning most of downtown’s State Street? The other existing work will wrap up around November, while this project will head into the design phase and is projected to begin construction at the start of 2026.

“We’re really excited. This will be one of the biggest investments that ACHD has committed to downtown Boise in a long time, so we’re really excited to continue those improvements along the State Street corridor,” says Law.