HAYDEN, Idaho — As traffic congestion continues around the Hayden Avenue and Ramsey Road construction project, some residents have suggested installing a temporary four-way stop at Hayden Avenue and Atlas Road.
During Tuesday night’s Hayden City Council meeting, city staff explained why they believe that approach could create additional congestion rather than improve traffic flow.
Public Works Director Alan Soderling said the issue is the imbalance in traffic volumes between Hayden Avenue and Atlas Road.
“When you get to that huge imbalance,” Soderling told the council, “you can have that imbalance up to a certain volume level and you can put a four-way stop in. After that point, the four-way stop actually becomes a hazard and becomes problematic.”
Soderling explained that vehicles traveling on Hayden Avenue significantly outnumber those using Atlas Road.
“What happens is every car has to stop,” he said. “If you have 100 cars an hour on Hayden and 15 cars an hour on the side streets — and those aren’t the real numbers, I’m just making an example — every one of those 100 cars has to stop.”
Because every vehicle must stop for the same amount of time, Soderling said traffic backs up quickly along the busier roadway.
“That queues up for long distances and the traffic becomes very detained,” he said. “The delay goes through the roof, and when you get the delay through the roof, people make bad decisions.”
Rather than installing a four-way stop, the city continues to pursue improvements intended to increase traffic capacity through the corridor.
Soderling said the city is working to widen portions of the roadway and add dedicated turn lanes before installing a temporary traffic signal at Hayden Avenue and Ramsey Road.
“We’re one puzzle piece left,” he said regarding the roadway widening needed before the temporary signal can be installed.
He added that staff remains hopeful the temporary signal can be operational during this construction season.
“We still hope to have the temporary signal in that intersection this construction season,” Soderling said.
Mayor Alan Davis also noted that while frustration over traffic delays is understandable, the temporary signal remains the city’s preferred solution for improving traffic flow during construction.
The discussion came during council reports near the end of Tuesday’s meeting after council members discussed resident concerns about traffic conditions at Hayden Avenue and Atlas Road.