Blaine County serves as home to tens of thousands of Idahoans and as a home-away-from-home to countless visitors who seek recreation, culture, and relaxation in the Wood River Valley, the Sawtooths, and beyond.  As Idaho’s population booms and Blaine County continues to attract tourists and new residents from around the world, the volume of motorists on State Highway 75 also has increased, giving rise to new safety and traffic-flow concerns.    

While residents of Blaine County worry about the safety of many intersections on the Highway, the intersection of Ohio Gulch Road and Highway 75 is a life-threatening intersection that demands immediate installation of a traffic light. Heavy traffic flows through the intersection each day at 55 mph or higher, which is a deadly combination when mixed with left-turning heavy vehicle and commercial traffic generated by the landfill and transfer station, gravel trucks going to and from Joe’s Backhoe, the shooting range, and other businesses.  Several hundred homes as well as the Valley Club also depend on Ohio Gulch as their primary access point and deserve a safe way to turn on and off of Highway 75.

Traffic at the intersection is only currently regulated by stop signs on Ohio Gulch Road.  Due to the drastic increase in motorists on the Highway, drivers have seen a concurrent increase in reckless driving into and out of the surrounding residential and industrial areas, jeopardizing resident safety. In fact, at least nine accidents in or near the intersection were reported between 2014 and 2018, and countless near-misses occur on a daily basis. The July 3, 2019 crash that severely injured a driver attempting a left turn from Ohio Gulch onto Highway 75 is only the most recent example.  The November 22, 2019 crash involved a school bus with children on board.  

We understand that the Idaho Transportation Department (“ITD”) recently conducted a study of the intersection, and we have been advised that a stoplight is cost-prohibitive at this time, and that such a step may not be feasible until either traffic increases or a serious accident occurs. While we respect that ITD has a limited budget, we should not have to wait for the additional serious or fatal injuries that inevitably will be inflicted on the residents who risk their safety navigating the intersection each day in order to prompt responsible traffic regulation at the intersection of State Highway 75 and Ohio Gulch Road.

With motorist safety and Blaine County’s continued growth and planning in mind, we the undersigned respectfully request that ITD install additional traffic regulation measures at the intersection of State Highway 75 and Ohio Gulch Road, including, but not limited to a stoplight.