ITD taking steps to restrict left turns off Lakeshore Drive onto U.S. 95

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

Pending weather conditions, the Idaho Transportation Department announced May 27 that crews would begin work as early as that evening on re-striping the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and U.S. Highway 95, signaling the first phase in creating a permanent restriction on left-hand, northbound turns there.

ITD spokesperson Heather McDaniel told the Reader earlier in May that the department would take steps to direct motorists to turn right off Lakeshore and travel a short distance south on U.S. 95 to the J-turn on the east side of the highway, where they will turn and reenter traffic going north. 

The new striping will require all traffic exiting Lakeshore Drive to turn right onto U.S. 95, including drivers who previously crossed the highway from Lakeshore onto Lakewood Avenue. The change will not affect how north- or southbound traffic enters Lakeshore from the highway.

According to ITD in a May 27 news release, “Traffic in this area often becomes congested as lines of vehicles exit the Long Bridge and funnel through the intersection. Drivers attempting left turns frequently wait for extended periods, which can create backups and increase pressure to make risky decisions.”

In addition, vehicles waiting to turn left often block drivers trying to use the J-turn, which leads to “delays, confusion and frequent near misses,” ITD stated. 

“Requiring all traffic to turn right will create a more consistent traffic pattern,” the department added.

If the weather doesn’t cooperate, striping work could take place later in the week or early in the first week of June, during which time drivers should expect flagging on Lakeshore Drive. 

The new striping is only temporary, however, with a permanent raised concrete median planned for later in the summer to physically prevent left turns from Lakeshore onto U.S. 95.

Meanwhile, ITD is also exploring how to keep drivers from accessing private business parking lots and side streets as unofficial turnarounds on the east side of the highway.

“We understand this change may add a short amount of travel time for some drivers,” stated ITD District Engineer Ryan Hawkins. “However, reducing conflict points at this intersection will improve safety and reduce risk for severe crashes for everyone traveling through the area, which is our top priority.”

The change comes amid a larger $9 million plan to improve safety along the U.S. 95 corridor, which experiences numerous serious crashes every year — including, most recently, a May 25 head-on collision further south on U.S. 95 in Sagle that took the lives of 18-year-old McCoy “Coy” Jensen and his 48-year-old stepfather Joshua Pilch, and resulted in life-threatening injuries for 65-year-old Kurt and Franny Hoopes (59).

(GoFundMe efforts have since been established for all parties involved in the Memorial Day crash.) 

ITD stated in its May 27 news release that the Sagle Road signal and median U-turn put in place in 2023 were intended to address a history of near misses and crashes caused by drivers attempting to cross traffic. But with traffic volumes increasing in the corridor since then, further efforts such as the left-turn restriction at Lakeshore and U.S. 95 are necessary as part of overall safety improvements.

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