Moscow intersection could become less congested

At peak traffic hours, eastbound vehicles back up on the west side of the intersection of State Highway 8 and U.S. Highway 95, also known as the south couplet.

Steve Vachon, a property owner on the southeast corner of the south couplet, will help alleviate the traffic congestion by dedicating right-of-way so a second eastbound lane to the State Highway 8 leg of the intersection can be installed.

The Moscow City Council accepted the right-of-way dedication at Monday night’s council meeting.

Bill Belknap, deputy city supervisor of community planning and design, said evening commute traffic can back up to College/Eight Street or farther.

“It’s on our long-range transportation plan to add another through lane through that intersection, so both the city and ITD (Idaho Transportation Department) have shared the desire to try to help alleviate that congestion,” Belknap said.

There are currently three lanes on the west side of the intersection — the southern two are right turn lanes directing traffic south onto U.S. Highway 95, and the northern lane directs traffic through the intersection to proceed onto Highway 8 and north onto Washington Street.

Under the plan, the center lane would be converted to a combination of a right turn and through lane to create two through lanes eastbound on Highway 8. The proposed addition of the eastbound lane on Vachon’s frontage, which is the former Stubbs Seed Warehouse, would connect with the center lane of the three lanes.

Belknap said ITD would construct the eastbound lane and the city would install curbing alongside it. He said ITD is working on the project schedule and there is not yet a cost estimate.

In other business, the City Council approved the purchase of a mask-fitting machine so long as the city’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding covers the cost of the equipment. City Supervisor Gary Riedner said the purchase appears to fall within the CARES Act guidelines.

The machine will allow the Moscow Volunteer Fire Department to conduct annual required certification for the fitting of its self-contained breathing apparatus, according to Monday’s council agenda.

The machine will also mask-fit N95 masks that members of the department wear because of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide mask-fitting services to other city departments and nearby volunteer fire organizations.

The MVFD currently borrows a testing machine from a vendor, which is dependent upon availability of the machine.

“We should have more availability and, of course, with the N95 masks in the current COVID situation, we need to have something,” Riedner said.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.