BOISE, Idaho — For several months, drivers in downtown Boise have faced significant delays due to roadblocks along State Street as part of an ongoing ACHD construction project.
- The work, which spans from 4th to 8th Streets, aims to replace aging roadways, improve safety, and install stormwater facilities.
- 4th and 5th Streets are expected to open in the coming weeks, but the project won’t be fully completed until November.
- For more information on this project you can visit: https://engage.achdidaho.org/state-street-8th-street-to-4th-street
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
"It’s been a very big inconvenience," says Boise resident Mark Ward.
Since March, drivers making their way through downtown Boise have been met with roadblocks along State Street.
“To me, it seems kind of crazy the number of streets they’ve closed, especially down here behind the Capitol building in a high-traffic area,” says Ward.
And for people like Mark Ward, who works near the construction zone, detours add 15 minutes to each end of his commute.
“It has not been fun for anyone who works here, trying to get to work and leave work,” says Ward.
The ongoing ACHD project, spanning from 4th Street to 8th Street, is focused on replacing the aging roadway, increasing safety, and adding stormwater facilities.
After months of work and unforeseen delays, ACHD tells me some relief is on the way.
“We’ve been doing concrete paving on 4th and 5th. The paving is complete at those intersections. Right now, we’re working on sidewalks and finalizing the signals, so we’re hoping to open 4th in the next two to three weeks and reduce the detour by a couple of blocks,” says ACHD Project Manager Cody Homan.
The remaining work from 6th to 8th is expected to wrap up by November.
But this won’t be the end of roadwork on State Street, with another project — from 8th to 14th — already on the horizon.
“At least a year… the earliest we would start the next project on State Street would be October of 2025,” says Homan.
In the meantime, drivers like Mark can expect their commute to gradually return to normal for now.
