SANDPOINT — The city will be holding two open houses at the East Bonner County Library in mid-March to inform the public about plans to redo Cedar Street.

The project will rebuild Cedar Street between Division and Lincoln Avenue with the intent of calming traffic and increasing safety. The City Council approved the project’s design on Dec. 17, which will feature 11-foot-wide travel lanes, extend the sidewalk on both sides and include a lateral shift in order to save the large silver maple tree on the street. 

At the March 12 open house sessions, city staff will be presenting on the final design and construction schedule. In the announcement, city officials expect construction will begin in summer 2026 and be completed by fall of that year. The project has a budget of $2.5 million, according to the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget. 

“Staff will be going over the final design plans, project schedule and communication, and impacts during construction,” Sandpoint city officials said in a press release. “Staff will also be available to answer questions about the project.” 

Both open houses will be held at the East Bonner County Library, 1407 Cedar St., on March 12; the first will be held from noon to 2 p.m. and the second from 4 to 7 p.m. in Room B. 

At the Dec. 17 meeting, the council was split on the width of the paved street, ultimately voting 4-1 to opt for 11-foot travel lanes. That width is lower than the city standard and staff’s request for 12-foot-wide lanes.  

Councilors went with 11-foot lanes in an effort to calm traffic, reducing speeds and increasing pedestrian safety.  

“Many communities are moving toward using narrower lanes to calm traffic, even with standard right of ways, prioritizing walking and biking,” Council President Deb Ruehle said. “I feel so much for the streets guys, but sometimes change is hard, and maybe we need to have some room to have an experimental street and see how it goes.”  

The City Council began looking over the design of the project in February of last year, following public input from a November public workshop. Saving the silver maple and disagreement over sidewalks highlighted that meeting, which delayed the project until this year. 

Councilor Pam Duquette led the push to save the historic tree and was visibly emotional when the council agreed to city staff’s plan to save it. The way they’ll be saving it is by laterally shifting the road north around 1600 Cedar St. in a chicane-esque design. 

“I just want to say thank you so much for taking the time to really get into this,” Duquette said. “I don’t want to get emotional but thank you.”