SANPOINT — Idaho Transportation Department is ending left turns from Lakeshore Drive onto U.S. 95 at the south end of the Long Bridge.

The agency announced Wednesday, May 27, that crews will begin re-stripping the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and U.S. 95, permanently restricting left-turns to address increased congested roads and safety concerns. 

The operation is expected to start in the evening, pending weather cooperation. If weather prevents stripping operations, the work will occur later in the week or early next week.

Northbound drivers on U.S. 95 will still be allowed to turn left onto Lakeshore Drive, but will no longer be permitted to turn left onto the highway from Lakeshore Drive.  

During the striping operations, flaggers will be positioned on Lakeshore Drive and, later this summer, a raised concrete median will be installed to prevent left turns.  

All traffic exiting Lakeshore Drive will be required to turn right onto U.S. 95. ITD officials said that drivers wanting to turn left will be required to turn right and use an existing median U-turn to safely turn around and merge into northbound traffic.  

“As part of a larger, nearly $9 million safety improvement plan for the US-95 corridor, which also included the Sagle Road signal, ITD completed construction of the median U-turn in 2023 to address a history of near misses and crashes caused by drivers attempting to cross traffic. While restricting left turns was always part of the long-term safety plan, drivers were initially allowed to continue making direct left turns when gaps in traffic permitted. With traffic volumes increasing since 2023, and with support from local transportation partner agencies in Bonner County, that option will now be removed as part of this safety improvement,” officials said in a news release. 

The 2023 U-turn was led by District 1 Sen. Jim Woodward and former District 7 Sen. Carl Crabtree in an effort to give motorists a safe alternative for those wanting to turn left on U.S. 95. 

Public information officer Heather McDaniel said the decision to end the left turn was aimed at making the intersection safer amid summer tourism. 

"With increases in regional traffic since 2023, and especially ahead of summer with the annual uptick in recreation and tourism in the area, we decided to make the change now based on the understanding that it's safer for all of the traffic to be consistently making the same movements there. Eliminating optional left turns makes traffic flow more consistently and predictably for all drivers and minimizes conflicts between through and turning traffic on the highway," McDaniel said.

The news release said that traffic congestion is a main contributor to drivers making “risky decisions,” as those waiting to turn left must frequently wait for extended periods of time, often creating backups and increased pressure to turn when it may not be safe.  

“Even when a gap looks safe, traffic conditions can change quickly,” District Engineer Ryan Hawkins said. “Requiring all traffic to turn right removes that uncertainty and creates a more predictable and safer intersection.” 

Officials also noted that, while the change may add some travel time for some drivers, requiring all traffic on Lakeshore Drive to turn right will create a more consistent traffic pattern, and ultimately improve safety and limit the risk for severe crashes.  

ITD is currently exploring options on the east side of U.S. 95 to prevent drivers from utilizing private businesses and side streets as turnarounds, according to the news release.