Transportation Commission Update – Roundabouts, First & Hayes Junction Added to Moscow Transportation Plan

MOSCOW – Two bridges, four roundabouts/traffic circles, and modification of the awkward intersection at First and Hayes streets are new capital improvement projects approved unanimously by the Moscow Transportation Commission at its regular meeting Thursday. The projects will be included in the city’s Multi-Modal Transportation Plan, also known as Moscow on the Move, when it goes before the city council for final consideration. 

The transportation plan is undergoing its first update since 2014. This is necessary, according to city administration, to maintain improvement momentum and competitiveness for grant programs.

The commission also briefly considered bicycle, scooter and commuter concerns from a Moscow resident, and heard a usage report regarding the “Spin” e-scooters initiative.

Projects approved by the commission will be funded through combinations of federal, state, city, and private (such as subdivision infrastructure fees) money, said Moscow planning manager Mike Ray, the commission’s staff liaison. Projects include:

* Roundabouts at D Street and F Street where they intersect Mountain View Road.

* A roundabout at A and Baker Streets. The Peterson subdivision north of this intersection has contributed some funding, Ray said, and more is expected as the development grows. 

* Adjustments to straighten/soften the jog in First Street where it meets Hayes. 

* A traffic circle at 6^th and Blaine Streets. Traffic circles function similarly to roundabouts, Ray said, but are smaller, accommodate lighter traffic loads, and typically don’t require acquisition of adjacent private property. 

Commissioner Bob Sanders, who drives for Pullman Transit and sometimes for the Moscow School District, asked if school buses and other long vehicles would be able to navigate the traffic circle. Ray said traffic circle centers typically are quite flat so buses, farm vehicles and the like can go over the edges if needed. 

* Replacement of the Sand Road/West Palouse River Drive bridge over the South Fork Palouse River on Moscow’s southwest edge. The project dovetails with a Latah County bridge replacement just to the southwest on Johnson Cutoff Road/Sand Road, Ray said. The narrow bridges and the sharp bend and obstructive hill between them are becoming hazardous as the new Edington subdivision and associated construction trucks bring heavier traffic to the area, he said.

Both the city and county intend to use LTAP funding (Idaho Local Technical Assistance Program) for the bridges. The Idaho Transportation Department operates LTAP with funding from the Federal Highway Administration. 

* Replacement of the bridge on Bridge Street between Hillcrest and Damen. The bridge’s honeycomb structure, which catches debris when Paradise Creek rises, would be replaced with a free-span design, Ray said.

In other business, the commission:

* Heard a report that use of “Spin” e-scooters has increased from 540 ride starts in June, when the program began, to 2,020 in August. Unique users numbered 220 in June and 535 in August.

“The scooters are getting used a fair amount,” said Ray, adding that some of the increase likely has to do with the return of University of Idaho students.

The scooter company is paying for the first-year trial. Learn more at https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/CivicSend/ViewMessage/Message/262889.

* Heard safety concerns from Moscow resident and bicyclist Tymothy Park about bicyclists and scooters on sidewalks posing a danger to pedestrians. 

“Little scooters moving quickly from the street to the sidewalk to the street again are disconcerting,” he said. “And I would like to see bikes cleared off the sidewalks.

“Alternative transportation is great,” he said. “But we need rules.”

Commissioner Mary DuPree said some laws already exist restricting bicycles and scooters on sidewalks, but enforcement isn’t always successful.

Scott Sumner, commission chair, asked if the transportation plan had room for outreach initiatives to “educate citizens on how to use bicycles better.” Ray said he would look into that.

Park also raised concerns about bicycle safety along Third Street/Pullman Highway between downtown Moscow and the Palouse Place mall, suggesting improvements to the nearby bike path since the road is too busy even for bike lanes to be safe. An underpass might be a solution, he said, but routes that mix pedestrian and bike/scooter traffic pose their own safety risks.

Since the route includes areas of state and University of Idaho oversight, commissioners agreed any work would be a joint effort with those entities.

Park also alerted the commission to safety issues at evening rush hour in north-central Moscow as commuters from Pullman heading north on Highway 95 navigate A, Almon and Main Streets. 

“It’s bedlam,” he said. “They are hellbent on getting out of Moscow, and these safety issues aren’t going away.”

* Discussed other safety topics, such as the confusing 2-way stop at Third and Hayes streets; participation with the nonprofit Vision Zero Network, https://visionzeronetwork.org/about/vision-zero-network/; and improved education about navigating roundabouts, designating safe routes to schools, and using hand-activated stop/walk signals.

The next meeting of the Moscow Transportation Commission is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in the Council Chambers of Moscow City Hall, 206 E. Third St.