COEUR d'ALENE - Since the announcement of Kootenai Health's expansion plans, the Idaho Transportation Department is taking a new look at the Highway 95 corridor.

Don Davis, with ITD, presented the Coeur d'Alene City Council with the results of a recent traffic study on the area of Highway 95 between Blackwell Island and Interstate 90.

Davis said the entire Highway 95 corridor was studied in 2002 when businesses and automobile dealerships began moving onto the corridor.

He explained that the older traffic modeling software has been replaced with new, up-to-date software that can give a more accurate picture of what will be needed in the future.

"We don't have a project yet," Davis told the council, adding that he is simply in the information stage. "I don't even have a skeleton of what the public involvement will be like yet."

Davis said the potential fixes for that section of road will be presented to the public for comments before any projects get planned.

Modeling showed the section of road from Blackwell Island to south of the Spokane River Bridge begins failing around 2035.

At that point, he said, something will need to be done about the intersections at Blackwell Road, North Lakeview Drive and Marina Drive.

He said some of the alternatives may be to put a diamond interchange in at Marina Drive similar to the one at Northwest Boulevard, or for a cheaper option they could signalize those intersections.

Another tough spot on the corridor is the intersection of Walnut Avenue, Lincoln Way and Highway 95. It is currently a three-way stop.

The model says that intersection will begin to fail in 2020, and reaches compete failure in 2035. That intersection and the corridor north to Ironwood Drive will need several improvements.

Davis said the intersection could be realigned, adding a northbound turn lane to flow in the same footprint as the southbound turn lane that currently exists in that location.

A separate lane could be constructed to accommodate southbound Lincoln Way traffic. Davis said movement and turning restrictions all along the corridor north to Ironwood would have to be implemented.

"The plan also shows that access to 95 from Linden Avenue would be blocked," he said.

Davis said some of the findings that will be presented at a series of public meetings will include recommendations that should be done in the next five years, and another set that should follow 10 years from now.

The five-year recommendations include selecting a scenario to plan for, but that should include movement restrictions on the section from Linden to Ironwood and reconfiguration of the Walnut Avenue intersection. Also, he said, the Spokane River Bridge should be widened to four lanes along with Blackwell Slough.

In 10 years, a second east turn lane at the intersection of Government Way and Harrison would need to be added, Davis said the modeling work showed.

Davis said he will be working to set up public meetings soon, but he just wanted to brief the council before the process moved into the public involvement stage.

In other business the council approved the purchase of a new Patrol Apprehension and Drug Detection dog. The new K-9 will replace a K-9 that was retired last year. It will cost $21,000 and drug confiscation money will be used to purchase it.

Also, Dr. Justin StormoGipson attended the council meeting to donate a $10,500 sculpture to the city for McEuen Park.

The sculpture is titled "The Great Escape" and has been on display on the northeast corner of Sherman Avenue and Second Street for almost a year.

The piece depicts a Blue Heron fishing for bass. The sculpture will be moved to the Third Street seawall in McEuen Park.

"I just want on behalf of my family to thank you for the opportunity to make this donation of this beautiful sculpture in memory of my late wife Maj," StormoGipson told the council. "She had a very strong connection to Blue Herons."

The council thanked StormoGipson for the donation.