- Benito Estudillo is visually impaired and struggles to navigate unfinished construction on State Street.
- As part of their Pierce Park Intersection plan, ACHD plans to widen State Street, add multi-use pathways, and complete the sidewalk near the gas station on Ellens Ferry.
- Construction is set to begin at the end of December or early January, with an open house on December 17th for residents to get updates.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Benito Estudillo has lived on Ellens Ferry for ten years.
"I've been hit several times on this corner," says Estudillo.
Estudillo and his wife are both visually impaired. He relies on his dog, his white cane, and the pedestrian audio signal to safely cross the street when traveling along State Street.
Estudillo says, "People don't always stop, you're supposed to look both ways, and I was getting ready to cross and this lady turned right into me on the corner."
He says along with speeding vehicles, sometimes the audio at the crosswalk is too low making it difficult for Estudillo to cross.
"It'll tell you okay, you can cross and other times it won't say a word and have to go by the light," Estudillo says.
Once he crosses the street to Jackson's, the sidewalk cuts off near the gas station, causing him to have to walk in the street again, increasing his chances of being hit.
We spoke to ACHD about the changes they're making to the area.
Kristy Inselman is the Planning Supervisor for the Ada County Highway District, "We actually extended that project all the way down to Ellen's Ferry and wrapped it up Ellens Ferry so that we could capture those improvements," she says.
Turns out, Ellens Ferry is included in ACHD's Pierce Park intersection plan.
The plan includes widening State Street, adding multi-use pathways for pedestrians and traffic, and finishing the sidewalk near the gas station on Ellens Ferry.
"There's irrigation crossing, there's a bridge pipe across there, so there's a lot that has to be redone in order to actually put a small piece of sidewalk in. So we're actually doing it as part of the State Street so it's actually extending further than a typical intersection project would," says Inselman.
If you take a look at State Street, you'll see power poles on the side of the street.
ACHD says relocating utilities is a part of the first phase of construction.
Inselman, says, "So, this whole thing is going to be under construction at the same time. So within the next year, year and a half, that will be done with this project, so we'll have a nice complete sidewalk connection on Ellens Ferry."
Construction is planned to begin at the end of December or the beginning of the new year.
Ahead of breaking ground residents like Benito can attend the construction open house on December 17th, where they can get updates from ACHD, ask questions, and learn about the construction timeline. With the incoming construction, Benito says it'll be harder to navigate for the time being.
Estudillo, says "they take all the workers and say okay we want to walk through this construction site under this street change so you can see what it's like being a blind person trying to navigate through this."
