Holiday Closures

A couple of closures for Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:

- Coeur d'Alene City Hall will be closed, as will other city offices and facilities

- Post Falls City business offices and the Post Falls Library will be closed on

Proposed Stimulus Package Projects

The big topic lately has been president-elect Barack Obama’s proposed economic stimulus package.

The package is a $800+ billion package aimed at funding the construction of infrastructure such as roads, highways, transit and bike and pedestrian projects, in an effort to stimulate the economy.

KMPO worked with local transportation agencies on a list of projects to submit for possible stimulus funding. Here's a link to more info on the Stimulus Package and the list of proposed projects for Kootenai County.

Any questions? Jeff is the authority on this. As much of an authority as you can be when you have limited information, anyway.

Speed Control Method Or Crafty Advertising Device?

These pictures were emailed to me by our accountant who thought they were interesting, as the text that accompanied them claims 'This is actually a speed control device that is in use.' Turning to the trusty internet, I was not able to find any evidence that they're actual speed control devices. Plus, the writing on the picture that says 'Feels like Pioneer Suspension' leads me to believe that they're an ad for Pioneer brand shocks. Either way, they're a funny idea, but can you imagine the liability agencies would face from the people who would try to avoid falling into one of these 'holes' and sideswipe another car in the process?

On the other hand, I've talked to people recently who actually claim to have seen potholes this big in our area.

Tax Break For Bike Commuting

Starting this month, people who ride their bike to work can get a federal tax break for doing so.

The credit was among a range of energy and tax provisions quickly added to the $700 billion financial rescue in November. Here are the details from the New York Times.

If you don't already ride your bike to work but have been considering doing so, will this encourage you to do so?

Citylink Numbers Show Drop In December Riders

Citylink has released it's latest numbers, and they show a drop in riders for December. Citylink officials say they're not too surprised; the bad weather kept a lot of people home or in their own cars so they didn't have to stand in snow-choked streets to catch the bus. Also, lower gas prices have a lot of people driving themselves again. Here are the numbers.

CDA Gas Prices Still Low, After WA Prices Go Up

Gas prices have already started going back up in Spokane, but remain low in Coeur d'Alene. A couple weeks ago I got gas for as low as $1.45 a gallon in Spokane. Now it's up to $1.59 at a lot of Spokane stations. Prices have remained low in Coeur d'Alene though, with one person telling me they got gas for $1.35 this week! Analysts say don't get used to it though. Here's the Coeur d'Alene Press story.

A Little Bit Of Transportation History

Here's an interesting Youtube video on the history of the Model T. The part that I found interesting is toward the end where it talks about how cities were just starting to develop infrastructure at the time of the Model T, and there were few roads and the ones that did exist were rough to say the least. Because of that, the Model T was built to withstand everything. Guess you could call it the predecessor to the Hummer.

Interchange Work Could Start In Fall Of '09

Construction on an I90 interchange on the west side of Post Falls is expected to start this fall. The interchange, in the area of Beck Road between State Line and Pleasant View interchanges, is expected to spur on development such as Wal-Mart and Lowe's at The Pointe at Post Falls. Transportation officials believe retailers and hotels are waiting for I-90 access before signing on.

Here's the Coeur d'Alene Press story.

Otter Faces Uphill Battle With Proposed Fee Increases

There are a lot of people dreading Idaho's upcoming legislative session. With state revenues slipping, budget cuts, and the governor’s effort to boost transportation funding, things are looking bleak.

Governor Otter says he knows he's got an uphill battle ahead of him, but it's necessary since our roads are falling apart. Here's the Spokesman-Review story.

Not All Cities Passive About Winter Sidewalk Maintenance

Area roads are finally getting cleaned up, but most area sidewalks are still impassable, especially after repeated thawing and freezing of snow pushed onto the sidewalks by plows.

Local officials say there's nothing they can do though, besides asking residents to shovel sidewalks in front of their house. Officials in other cities take a different approach though. Here's what other jurisdictions are doing to keep their sidewalks clear.

Statesman Weighs In On Dover Bridge Short Shrift

The Idaho Statesman is putting in their two cents regarding the Idaho Transportation Board's short shrift of the Dover Bridge for possible stimulus package money. Here's an editorial that ran in the Statesman today.

I90 Open Both Directions Now

Both east and westbound lanes of I-90 are now open to all traffic. However, due to erosion & some undermining of the shoulders, drivers must stay off the shoulders of I-90. Do not drive, stop or park on the shoulders of I-90 between North Bend & Easton. Here are some crazy pictures from Snoqualmie Pass that show why you couldn't use it prior to this morning.

The Washington State Department Of Transportation is also working to open I-5 from 11miles south of Chehalis to about 20 miles south of Olympia.

In the meantime, the closures have caused thousands of truckers to cool their heels on either side of the pass, causing area shortages on things like snow tires, snow chains, snow shovels and de-icer as well as a few types of groceries.Here's the story from the Spokesman-Review.

Drivers Aren't Obeying Hands-Free Law

An editorial in the Spokesman-Review today says that drivers don't take the law banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving seriously. Here's the story.

Now, the Spokesman's 'Huckleberries' blog is asking if Idaho should ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving and/or should such an offense be a primary rather than secondary one? Click here to weigh in with your opinion.

Dover Bridge Gets Passed Over For Funding

Idaho’s Transportation Board - faced with a staff recommendation to make replacement of the deterioriated Dover Bridge its top priority for federal stimulus funds - instead dropped the project to No. 7 on its list in a special meeting yesterday.

And the news gets worse; only six projects are likely to get funded. Now, North Idaho Sen. Shawn Keough and Governor Butch Otter are not happy. Here's the story from the Spokesman-Review.

North Idaho Getting Worst Of Weather

Congratulations North Idaho, you're the recipient of a whole mess of precipitation!

According to the National Weather Service, north Idaho, not eastern Washington, is seeing the brunt of the recent rain and melt-off. According to meteorologist John Fox, flood warnings have been issued for the Coeur d’Alene River in Cataldo and the Palouse River, and there are ice jams in the St. Joe River.

While Coeur d’Alene had less than an inch of rain, the Northern Panhandle had anywhere from 1 to 4 inches.

The cold weather expected tonight will help to slow the rapid runoff into the rivers though. Temperatures are expected to drop throughout the day into the 20s tonight. Of course, that will turn all the standing water into a sheet of ice.

L.A. Approves Cyclist Bill of Rights

It's not bicycling weather with all this ice on the ground, but this should take your mind off the cruddy weather: the Los Angeles City Council recently voted to
approve a Cyclist’s Bill of Rights!

It still has some hoops to jump through (the Cyclists’ Bill of Rights will be forwarded to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Planning Department, Department of Public Works, and Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee to report with recommendations on how to incorporate the principles into the City of Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan and other relevant documents)but this is a big first step. Here's a look at L.A.'s 'Cyclists Bill of Rights.

Who's Responsible For Plowing What?

I'm not advocating yelling at anyone, but if you're planning to call your local jurisdiction and complain about anything snow or transportation-related, at least get the right agency. Here's a civics refresher on who's job it is to plow and de-ice what:

- The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is responsible for state highways and interstates. Anything with the words 'highway,' 'state route,' 'or 'I' (as in I90) are within ITD's jurisdiction.

- When a major state highway, like Highway 95, runs through a city, it is still the responsibility of ITD to plow it.

- Highway Districts are responsible for roads outside city limits. There are four highway districts in Kootenai County: Lakes, Post Falls, Eastside and Worley Highway Districts. Check your property tax statement to determine, which district you live in.

- Cities are responsible for clearing all roads inside the city limits.

- For those people who live in private developments, or gated communities, you are probably on your own. Many of these private developments have homeowners associations that assume those maintenance responsibilities.

I've been hearing that a lot of agencies are getting complaints about snow removal, etc. for areas that are not within their jurisdiction. So maybe this will help. First though, take a deep breath and go to your happy place. Then make the call.

US95 Public Meeting Tomorrow

To get your mind off snow, here's another somewhat 'unpleasant' driving item to discuss. Tomorrow is the US95 Access Study Open House. It will be at ITD from 5-7 p.m. (it's an open house format so you can come at anytime and leave at anytime), at 600 W. Prairie Ave. KMPO conducted the study to find ways to make US95 flow smoother, while making it safer and maintaining access to local businesses.

Several recommendations came out of the study, including adding traffic lights at some intersections, removing them at others and restricting turns at some intersections. Here's the draft study report.

The Spokemsan has an article in today's paper about the study and the meeting. Here it is.

Drivers Frustrated By Rough Roads

The Coeur d'Alene Press compares area roads to wagon trails, but in my opinion, they're still better than on the Washington side. Ruts, bumps, and narrow streets are just a few of the obstacles drivers are facing. Here's the Press story.

Car Doors Frozen Shut?

I was snowed in all day yesterday, with no electricity. So I was pretty dang excited to find out this morning that a good samaritan had plowed the road. When I went to start up the car though, I found that all four doors were frozen shut. What to do, what to do? A quick search of the internet came up with several ideas, the best in my opinion was to use a hair dryer to thaw them. That worked perfectly. And to keep it from happening again, the internet told me to spray a bit of silicone spray (available at any auto parts store) onto an old rag and wipe it onto all the rubber gaskets around your car doors. I'll give it a shot.

So problem solved. Once I got the car out though, I realized the front license plate was missing. Sigh... now to tackle that problem.