COEUR d’ALENE — After conducting a noise analysis, the Idaho Transportation Department recommends noise barriers in three sections of the Interstate 90 corridor from State Highway 41 to 15th Street.

A new report published by ITD recommends such barriers in the following sections:

• South of I-90 from Ninth Street to East Hazel Avenue

• North of I-90 from Seventh Street to Ninth Street

• North of I-90 from Ninth Street east past Burl Lane, ending at the Avista facility

Read the full report at cdapress.com.

The report was created as part of an I-90 corridor study, which aims to improve capacity and safety from Highway 41 to 15th Street.

The project will “upgrade facilities to meet current design standards, thereby reducing congestion, increasing capacity and improving travel times, mobility and overall safety” along the corridor, according to ITD.

“The project is needed because Kootenai County, Idaho, and the Coeur d’Alene area have seen major population growth in recent years,” the report said.

Census data indicate the county’s population had grown by more than 32,000 between 2010 and 2020.

“This growth has created excessive congestion along the I-90 corridor and many associated interchanges,” the report said. “Travel times along I-90 and wait times at various associated interchanges are currently poor due to congestion. Congestion in the study area is expected to worsen with continued population growth and development which will further impact travel times and delay.”

Before traffic noise abatement is implemented, certain conditions must be met.

Noise mitigation must be considered both feasible and reasonable. Feasibility is gauged based on engineering considerations and effectiveness, while the reasonableness of mitigation is based on noise abatement design goals, cost effectiveness and desirability.

Desirability is determined by the benefitted owners and renters of the proposed noise barrier once a design project is funded, according to ITD.

The design project to widen I-90 through the recommended locations is not yet funded. After funding is secure, ITD will work with property owners to gauge desirability.