HAYDEN — A groundbreaking ceremony for the $14 million Ramsey Road Extension Project celebrated the start to the construction phase Monday by the Hayden Public Works Facility. The project has been a goal for almost 15 years ago and is primarily funded by the Federal Highway Administration. 

Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization Executive Director Glenn Miles said they came up with the idea for the extension in 2010 as one of the improvements to get traffic north/south in the Couer d’Alene area. 

“I think it’s going to be a good asset. It’s going to route people on the west of Highway 95 to be able to go all the way from downtown to Lancaster without getting out on 95 if they don’t want to,” Miles said. 

Mayor Alan Davis credited the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization, Local Highway Technical Assistance Council, Idaho Transportation Department and Hayden staff for making the project possible. 

“This new road represents the culmination of more than a decade of planning and is the largest transportation project Hayden has seen,” Davis said.    

Though he was happy the Ramsey Road extension is officially underway, Miles said, “It’s going to be more exciting to have it done. This area hasn’t had a lot of major investments for probably 40 years.”  

In the very end, the city of Hayden provided the funds to make it happen because the KMPO had basically run out of the ability to go back for more money. 

“There was primarily one funding source, but we had to go back about five times to get more money," Miles said. “That's been one of the biggest challenges. You program a project to be done in 2012/2014 and then it’s now 2025. The delay took it from about $4.7 million to closer to $14 million.”

Miles said the KMPO has helped set some key roadway improvements in motion. 

“There's been improvements on Government Way, and we’ve made improvements on Prairie Avenue and things like that, but this area’s going to see some major investments in the next five-10 years, like the widening of the Interstate 90 that starts this spring,” Miles said.  

He also noted the large scope of roadway improvements starting in the near future on Highway 41, Highway 53 and the interchange on Pleasant View and Highway 53 as future projects coming soon.