Idaho’s Eagle Road: High-speed freeway or a local shopping district? It can’t be both

Is Eagle Road through Meridian a high-speed freeway or is it a local shopping district?

Idaho Transportation Department officials are trying to have it both ways — to fatal consequence.

As Idaho Statesman reporter Rachel Spacek reported, a local family is trying to get the speed limit dropped along Eagle Road from 55 mph, which they say is dangerous and, coupled with left-turn access, contributed to the death of their 21-year-old daughter, Kess Boesch.

If you think about other major roads in the Treasure Valley that are lined with multiple businesses with their own individual access points, you typically see lower speed limits: Fairview Avenue, Chinden Boulevard, Vista Avenue, Broadway Avenue, Cole Road, Overland Road and State Street — all have varying and graduated speed limits that are well below 55 mph.

Not Eagle Road.

The speed limit on Eagle Road through Meridian from Interstate 84 to Chinden Boulevard is 55.

A group of residents, led by Boesch’s family, is pushing ITD to reduce that speed limit and ban unprotected left turns.

Both would be welcome considerations.

As it is now, Eagle Road, as Meridian Mayor Robert Simison put it, is “a race track.”

A dangerous race track.

In 2020, that stretch of Eagle Road had 258 vehicle crashes, with 175 injuries and one fatality.

In 2021, there were 282 crashes, with 211 injuries and one fatality.

The truck that struck and killed Boesch was going 53 mph. It’s impossible to know whether a lower speed limit would have prevented Boesch’s death, but we do know that lower speeds reduce the severity of crashes, including deaths.

More important, though, is that Eagle Road’s relatively high speed limit is coupled with a wealth of access points and left-turn and center-turn lanes, making the road more dangerous at high speeds.

Limited turn lanes, a median divider, frontage roads and reduced access points would make Eagle Road safer, even while maintaining a 55 mph speed limit.

When Eagle Road’s speed limit was set, there was nothing out there except subdivisions, freeway on-ramps and a few mini-malls and grocery stores. It was a commuter thoroughfare. Now, it’s a place where people live, shop and recreate. And the density is increasing. Developers have always had plans to build apartments by The Village at Meridian. Eagle Road needs to evolve to reflect the evolving culture of the community.

Unfortunately, it might simply be too late to make some of these changes to make Eagle Road safer, because developments have already been granted access entitlements.

But it’s not too late to plan ahead on other similar roads in the Treasure Valley, such as Meridian Road from Meridian to Kuna, which promises to be the next Eagle Road.

Ten Mile Road, both north and south of Interstate 84, would probably be next after that.

As those roads — and others yet unknown — develop in the rapidly growing Treasure Valley, it will be important to learn the lessons that poor planning on Eagle Road have provided.

Plan now for the safety of those roads when there are 20,000, 35,000, 50,000 or more vehicle trips per day.

Planning officials with ITD, Ada County Highway District, Ada County and the cities of Kuna and Meridian need to telegraph now to developers what the expectations will be, whether it’s frontage roads, a divided median, limited access points or no left turns — and then stick with those standards.

If we wait, like we’ve done with Eagle Road, it will be too late to turn back.

In the meantime, ITD officials need to consider what changes they can make to Eagle Road to enhance safety and prevent the next death.

Statesman editorials are the unsigned opinion of the Idaho Statesman’s editorial board. Board members are opinion editor Scott McIntosh, opinion writer Bryan Clark, editor Chadd Cripe, newsroom editors Dana Oland and Jim Keyser and community members Johanna Jones, Maryanne Jordan and Ben Ysursa.