MERIDIAN, Idaho — The City of Meridian, its Police Department and ITD are working to make Eagle Road safer for drivers. Proposed reduced speed limits during rush hour are intended to improve driver response time.
- Would you like to have your say? There are two public open days this week where citizens can voice their opinions:
- Wednesday: August 28, 5-7 p.m. at the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho, 700 NE 2nd Street, Meridian ID 83642.
- Thursday: August 29, 5-7 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 145 Riverside Drive, Eagle ID 83616.
- Learn more about the Eagle Rd pilot project from the Idaho Transportation Department.
(Below is the transcript of the broadcast report)
About 60,000 drivers use Eagle Road every day.
“It’s crazy, absolutely crazy,” said Nathan Bronson.
And now a pilot program is planned to reduce speed limits in some places.
“There are different opinions. One says it would be great if we had a lower speed limit because the sheer number of accidents
Nathan Bronson, manager of Krispy Kreme at the corner of Eagle and Fairview, told me he’s seen several accidents at the intersection in the last few months alone.
“The other side says, ‘Things are changing too much, we should keep the standard that’s been in place for years,’ and they don’t like the change. So I see both sides,” Bronson said.
To learn more about why these changes are being considered, I asked those who see firsthand the number of reckless drivers…who drive to the scene of an accident.
“I can tell you as a police officer and as a representative of our officers who respond to some of these crashes on Eagle Road, some of which have been fatal, we know better,” said Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea. He tells me it’s about response time, and he hopes lowering the speed limit by 10 mph will make the roads safer.
“We have avoided some of our accidents as a result. Some people have run red lights because we drove slower. This gave them a little more time to react. And if an accident does occur, the damage will hopefully be minimal thanks to the lower speed limits,” said police chief Basterrechea.
Eagle Road has 18 traffic lights, and Meridian says about 6.5 miles of the main thoroughfare runs through town… And the number of motorists on the road “has doubled since 2000.” That’s why police are partnering with ITD for the pilot program.
“When Eagle Road was planned and originally built here, there were not all the residential developments and businesses around it,” said Chief Basterrechea.
To reduce the number of car accidents, ITD will also remove those four left turns in the middle of the block.
The reduced speed limits are expected to impact peak hours, including 7am-9am and 4pm-6pm on weekdays.
Electronic signs inform drivers about the changed speed limits.
The two-year pilot program is scheduled to begin in 2025, but drivers could see additional warning and safety signs along the roads as early as fall.
“Personally, I wish the traffic here was a little slower. The reason for that is because I’ve lost people in accidents myself,” Bronson said.
