Blackfoot to replace road leading up to the East Idaho State Fairgrounds

BLACKFOOT — An eastbound Idaho metropolis has received a half a cardinal dollar assistance to switch what becomes its busiest roadworthy 9 days retired of nan year.

The metropolis of Blackfoot received nan Idaho Community Development Block Grant for Downtown Revitalization for $500,000, which will beryllium utilized to bring North Broadway Street up to existent standards. This task is only a mini portion of a larger ongoing effort by nan metropolis to revitalize its downtown area.

“It’s been a agelong clip since location has been a assistance for illustration that,” said Mayor Marc Carroll.

The technologist estimate is that nan assistance will salary for nan metropolis to switch nan road, curb, gutter and sidewalk and adhd parkland benches for North Broadway Street from Pacific Street to Highway 91.

While location isn’t overmuch ft postulation connected this roadworthy normally, it becomes nan astir precocious postulation area successful nan metropolis during nan East Idaho State Fair. Right now, nan corners connected Broadway are not compliant pinch existent ADA law.

The metropolis is still successful nan readying shape for nan project, truthful nary day has been group connected erstwhile roadworthy activity will start.

While this task will use nan metropolis by making it easier for pedestrians to locomotion nan thoroughfare towards nan fair, it’s only portion of a continuing effort by nan metropolis to revitalize Blackfoot’s downtown area. Carroll said that galore of nan improvements that they person made and will proceed to make aren’t instantly noticeable.

“A batch of nan upgrades we’re doing are things that group don’t moreover see,” Carroll said. “The existent captious infrastructure is nan h2o and sewer system, and that’s underground of course, and group conscionable don’t deliberation astir it.”

Last fall, nan metropolis put $100,000 towards making improvements to nan actual and asphalt streets — adding ADA compliant corners. The metropolis has besides group speech a cardinal dollars to upgrade nan downtown area’s sewer system, which is scheduled to statesman successful August.

But Blackfoot has much planned to bring conveyance and ft postulation downtown. They’ve received suggestions and showcased immoderate ideas astatine a number of unfastened houses, 1 of which would beryllium nan installation of 2 overhead signs. One projected by nan metropolis would beryllium placed wherever Highway 91 turns onto Pacific Street and residents suggested adding different astatine nan intersection of South Broadway Street and West Judicial Street.

The creation concepts for what invited signs to nan downtown could look like. | EastIdahoNews.com record photo

City officials dream that these improvements will bring much group into nan downtown, giving a boost to nan already existing businesses and make it imaginable for group to unfastened more. Carroll said that he remembers a clip erstwhile Blackfoot’s downtown offered a assortment of businesses.

“The downtown was conscionable a thriving place,” Carroll said.

During nan 1990s, he said that changed. This was astir apt owed to a assortment of factors, including business owners aging aliases Walmart opening successful 1992.

Carroll admits that he shops retired of municipality for illustration galore group successful Blackfoot, but he thinks that group should person nan action to enactment successful municipality and do their shopping.

“We would conscionable for illustration to person stores travel backmost to nan downtown. We dream that by rebuilding sidewalks and making nan streets themselves much attractive, that’ll pull merchants to inhabit immoderate of these vacant storefronts and unfastened up,” Carroll said.