Update: McDermott Road is Finally Open Again! [Photo gallery]

The once quiet and off-the-beaten-path McDermott Road is now the cause of intermittent anxiety and frustration for Boise's neighbors in Eagle, Meridian, and Star. As recently as eight years ago, traveling north-to-south on SH16 through McDermott road was a breeze. Today, it's an entirely different story.

North-south travel has not been a major concern in previous plans due to the east-west travel patterns created by the terrain and the layout of cities in Ada County and Canyon County. But regional growth is changing the pattern of travel. Growth in Gem County, combined with expanding populations and employment in Middleton, Star, Eagle, Meridian, and Kuna, will challenge existing north-south facilities.—Compass Idaho

Today, McDermott Road is frequently under construction or impeded by the construction agenda of commercial builders. When it's shut down, as is so frequently the case, it causes nearly unbearable stress for those who deal with the headache of getting in and out of Star and Eagle. This most recent several-week McDermott road closure tacked on an extra eight-to-15 minutes for most folks' morning commutes. Double-to-quadruple that time frame for an evening commute home from the down town Boise area.

Photo by Ryan Valenzuela

In short, accelerated regional growth calls for a change on McDermott Road and SH16. The change seems rather simple, actually. Connecting SH16 to McDermott Road through to I84 is what so many of us have been waiting for. Isn't now the time? What's holding the plan back?

On the Road Again! McDermott Road is Open!

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