Emmett/Gem County Community Review Report Summary

Infrastructure
Overall and in comparison to many other communities in the state, the Infrastructure Team
believes the City of Emmett and Gem County are very fortunate with regard to the current
status of its infrastructure.
The Infrastructure Team concentrated mainly on highways, streets, and telecommunications
at the request of the home team, but included summary comments related to the airport,
industrial park, railroad, pedestrian walkways, wastewater treatment, and water supply
components of the community.
Roads and Streets
A bus tour of the community addressed Gem County and Emmett City concerns. With
recent construction of schools and housing developments occurring on the east side of the
City, connections to SH-16 appear to be badly needed and are of substantial concern. Since
the eastern area of the community is serviced by two State Highways, SH-16 and SH-52,
there is reasonable access for commuters, commerce, and industry.
The first step in developing proper transportation systems is the completion of a
Transportation Plan. We commend the City of Emmett and Gem County for their current
work to complete their plans, which will give future direction to elected officials about what
needs to be done in the near and distant future and addresses safety and traffic concerns, as
well as road widening and expansion. Both of those plans must result in a Capital
Improvement Plan that directs activities and expenditures for improvements to the
transportation system.
A major concern of the City and County is access to Interstate 84 (I-84). The team visited
existing Dewey Road on the west side of the City. It is apparent that this road, if extended
to the west, could hook on to I-84 at the US-Highway 30 Interchange, a distance of
approximately 4.5 miles. This route would traverse both Gem County and Payette County,
and the County Commissioners have indicated they have met with Payette County in hopes
of jointly providing a new access route to I-84.
A second access to the north through Indian Valley was discussed briefly; however, from the
Team’s perspective it would be more cost effective to access I-84 to the west than to bring
Highway 95 down through the City of Emmett. The Idaho Transportation Department
Board would likely pick a route that would bypass Emmett’s downtown corridor, an option
that is not currently acceptable to city leaders.
The downtown streets are in need of repair and need to be made accessible for persons with
disabilities. Community development block grant funding and applications to the Local
Highway Technical Assistance Council, (LHTAC) for STP-Urban funds should be
considered in the very near future. Funded improvements could be completed both on
Washington and Main Streets.
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