Recent History
Community members attended a regular meeting of the Lakes Highway District to use the public comment period to express our concern about the state of Cape Horn Road’s S-curve. The LHD agreed to put us on the agenda of a future meeting.
Community sends a letter to each Commissioner and the Director of the Lakes Highway District.
CHE completes a traffic study on Cape Horn Road.
Lakes Highway District meeting includes Cape Horn Road issue. Video of meeting available.
LHD responds with letter referring to the S-curve as a private road. CHE road lawyer advises CHE that the LHD is wrong. (See Legal Trail below.)
Vince meets with Panhandle Area Council, a local organization that assists writing grant requests. They advise him that they will only work with government entities.
Vince contacts Idaho Association of Highway Districts (IAHD). Rod Twete is a Director and the Board Chair.
Idaho State Senator Phil Hart and District 2 Representatives Heather Scott and Dale Hawkins travel S-curve and visit CHE to learn about the issue.
Way Ahead
Our Goal
Get the Lakes Highway District to accept all of Cape Horn Road as a public road within their system and deal with the needs of the residents appropriately within the priorities of the District.
Next Steps
- The LHD Commissioners have full control over what roads they accept and the level of improvement or maintenance applied to those roads. We need to influence current and new Commissioners to address our community’s needs with appropriate urgency.
- We need a realistic engineering approach and cost estimate for reducing the hazards on the S-Curve. The S-Curve can’t be completely fixed under any reasonable cost, but it can be made a lot safer.
The Legal Trail
Laws Cited by the Lakes Highway District
Except, those laws weren’t the same when the road was dedicated.
Amendments to 50-1312 and 50-1313 add highway districts as necessary approval authorities.
Amendments to 50-1309, 50-1312, and 50-1313.
Amendment to 50-1309.