They make us stop...
For 30-plus years, Sandpoint had just two stop-and-go signals; the light at the corner of Fifth and Cedar that came on line in 1959, and the light at Second and Cedar installed in late 1960.
However, in the '90s, traffic lights have proliferated, as has traffic and the population. In 1993, the light at the intersection of Highways 95 and 200 blinked to life, followed closely by signals at Fifth and Pine, First and Pine and Fifth and Larch.
With the recent addition of lights at Boyer and Highway 2, Division and Highway 2, Schweitzer Cutoff Road and Highway 95 in Ponderay and Highway 200 and McGhee Road in Kootenai, Sandpoint and environs have 10 traffic signals.
Considering that there were three lights for 30 years, and then a net gain of seven lights in six years, traffic light growth appears to be exponential. Will we have 16 or 32 by 2001?
The real question though, is, and who can answer without looking, which color is on top? Red or green? There are lots of places to look for the answer these days.
– Sandy Compton
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But bikeways is on the go
North Idaho Bikeways (formerly Pathways) celebrated its first big milestone on Aug. 14 with the official opening of the Carlson-McConnaughey Sagle Community Trail. The trail connected the Long Bridge path to a new path leading to Sagle Road.
Bikeways leaders aren't waiting for grass to grow under their feet before launching into the next project, connecting Dover to Sandpoint along Highway 2. Their goal is to build a network of trails connecting Sandpoint to its outlying towns. Bikeways got its biggest boost yet with the awarding of a $150,000 federal grant through the Transportation Efficiency Act; construction will begin by September 1999. However, more funds are needed.
"The costs of decking and surfacing the railroad trestle bridge are substantial," says Board Member Larry Falk.
Fellow Board Member Angela Potts adds, "A network of trails is becoming a reality. It just shows anything can happen when people stay focused and have faith."
– Billie Jean Plaster
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