Communication and Public Awareness

COMPASS develops and compiles a wide variety of regional data, accessible through the links below:

• Bicycle and pedestrian counts
• Demographics
• Development activity
• Functional street classification
• Maps/GIS
• Performance compared to long-range plan goals
• Performance dashboard (a new dashboard is under development)
• Preliminary plats
• Traffic congestion
• Traffic counts
• Additional open data

Many maps are available online on the Mapping and GIS page and can be downloaded for free. Standard printed maps are $15 per map sheet. Custom maps and analyses can be ordered for $73/hour, plus $15/map sheet. Contact the GIS department at 208/475-2246 or 208/475-2245 to order standard or custom maps.

COMPASS coordinates orthophotography for Ada and Canyon Counties. Costs for orthophotography and related data vary; more information can be found on the Mapping and GIS page or by calling 208/475-2245.

COMPASS reports from 2008 on are available on the Reports page. If you need a hard copy of any of these reports, or an older report, contact info@compassidaho.org or 208/475-2229.

A long-range transportation plan identifies and plans for regional transportation improvements needed over the next 20+ years, based on forecasted growth. The regional long-range transportation plan for Ada and Canyon Counties is called Communities in Motion.

A fiscal impact analysis is the estimation of the net financial costs or benefits of a particular project, land use plan, fiscal policy, or demographic change on a jurisdiction’s budget. For example, when a new residential development is being considered for approval by a local government, a fiscal impact analysis would forecast potential revenues and costs associated with the proposal to help determine how it would impact the community’s budget. COMPASS conducts fiscal impact analyses on behalf of its member agencies to help inform the decision-making process; learn more about COMPASS’ fiscal impact analysis tool and process.

Communities in Motion is the regional long-range transportation plan for Ada and Canyon Counties. The approved Communities in Motion 2040 2.0 plan focuses on how bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure, freight, public transportation, and roadways work in tandem to comprise a complete transportation system.

Communities in Motion 2040 2.0 focuses federal transportation funding on maintaining the existing transportation system while strategically addressing regional priorities. To this end, the plan identifies 31 unfunded priority projects. Learn more about how Communities in Motion is being implemented below.

The population in the Treasure Valley is estimated to increase from approximately 760,000 in 2021 to 1.022 million in 2040. You can find current population estimates on the Current and Historic Population Estimates web page and learn more about growth on the Demographic Forecasts page.

COMPASS offers several ways for you to learn about, and be involved in, planning issues and the planning process.

• The COMPASS education series (click on year) brings national and regional experts to the area to discuss transportation and planning issues.

• Public comment periods provide opportunities to comment on specific plans, projects, and issues.

• COMPASS Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram accounts provide additional timely information.

• The COMPASS online calendar includes Board and committee meetings, education events and open houses, public comment periods, and more.

• The COMPASS Participation Plan and related Title VI, Limited English Proficiency, and Environmental Justice plans outline COMPASS’ commitment to reaching out to all residents of Ada and Canyon Counties.

COMPASS plans for the entire surface transportation system within Ada and Canyon Counties, focusing on four transportation components, with an emphasis on how they integrate to form a complete, and cohesive, transportation system:

• Bicycle/pedestrian
• Freight
• Public Transportation
• Roads and Bridges

Yes. This is likely the most common question we get – hence a longer answer than most. A train, or similar “high capacity” public transportation service that connects Caldwell to Boise, and communities in between, has been identified as a future need for the valley. Agencies are currently looking at the feasibility of two separate services – one north of the Boise River and one south of the Boise River.

Bus rapid transit along State Street (north of the Boise River) is identified in Communities in Motion 2040 2.0 as the #1 unfunded regional public transportation priority; rail, or similar high-capacity transit service south of the Boise River is identified as the #5 unfunded regional public transportation priority. More information on both of these is below.

North of the Boise River
Planning is underway for high-capacity public transportation north of the Boise River, along State Highway 44/State Street, to link the Cities of Star, Eagle, Garden City, and Boise. Long-term recommendations for this corridor include widening the street to add one lane in each direction primarily for carpools and buses, and eventually for a high capacity public transportation service, such as bus rapid transit. Bus rapid transit is a bus-based type of high-capacity public transportation that functions like a train. Ten agencies have entered into a memorandum of understanding to coordinate planning and implementation of projects along the State Street corridor.

South of the Boise River
High-capacity transit service south of the Boise River, essentially parallel to Interstate 84, would connect the Cities of Caldwell, Nampa, Meridian, and Boise. This service was the focus of a 2020 study to update the previous 2009 Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study. The updated study provides background information from the 2009 study, combined with the most currently available data, to refine a list of potential high capacity modes and alignment alternatives (routes) recommended for further assessment. The study also provides an outline of next steps to advance a preferred alternative toward implementation. Link to the Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study 2020 Update.

In addition, COMPASS conducted a public survey in early 2021 to gain input into the most important characteristics of a high-capacity transit system, then compared those results to the modes and alignments recommended in the 2020 study to determine a locally favored option of a regional rail service along the Boise Cutoff rail line, with an alternate alignment of Fairview Avenue/Cherry Lane. That locally favored option will be reflected in Communities in Motion 2050.

Funding for either service is a significant obstacle. Idaho does not have a dedicated funding source for public transportation, which is needed to operate any sort of high-capacity transit system. Without dedicated funding, work on any type of high-capacity service will remain in the planning stages.

Even once funding is secured, the process to plan for, build, and begin operations for such a system will be long and time-consuming. Despite these obstacles, COMPASS will continue to plan, within their funding limits, for a future high capacity transit system.

Yes. A connection between Bowmont Road and Kuna-Mora Road in southern Canyon and Ada Counties was studied in two phases from 2007 - 2009. However, topographical, environmental, and other impediments were identified and the study was put on hold in April 2009. More information can be found on the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) and Nampa Highway District websites:

ACHD: Kuna-Mora Road Connection Study Phase I

ACHD: Kuna-Mora Road Connection Study Phase II

Nampa Highway District: Studies, Western Route Express Way Project

Yes. An interchange at Five Mile Road was contemplated when I-184 (the Connector) was being planned in the 1990s. Working with the City of Boise and the Ada County Highway District, a decision was made by the Idaho Transportation to build an interchange Eagle Road instead of Five Mile. The area built up with that exclusion in mind and constructing one now would violate the best safety practice of interchanges being two miles away from each other (Five Mile Road is less than two miles from the Flying Wye), require many homes to be relocated, and be prohibitively expensive.

Yes. In 2003, the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) initiated a study of the “Three Cities River Crossing” east of the City of Eagle to serve as an alternate to the State Highway 55 (Eagle Road) and State Highway 44 (Glenwood Street) river crossings. In 2010, after reviewing different options, the ACHD Commission voted for the “no build” option because the cost and environmental impacts were more significant than the traffic benefits. However, the commission left the option open to revisit the project in the future if funding becomes available. Preserving land for a bridge over the Boise River east of the City of Eagle remains an unfunded priority in Communities in Motion. Learn more on ACHD’s Three Cities River Crossing web page.

COMPASS implements Communities in Motion by:

• Funding transportation projects through the Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

• Working to increase transportation funding

• Assisting member agencies in securing funding for projects that support Communities in Motion goals.

COMPASS sets regional goals relating to transportation, economic development, land use, and more through the regional long-range transportation plan, Communities in Motion. COMPASS reports on progress toward meeting these targets in several ways:

• Change in Motion/Performance Monitoring Reports 

• Performance Dashboard (interactive tool to access data, see trends, and compare goals and targets) (NOTE: A new and improved dashboard is under development)

• Regional Transportation Improvement Program

COMPASS reviews proposed developments and provides feedback, in the form of a checklist, to local officials regarding how those developments align with regional Communities in Motion goals and projected growth. All completed development review checklists can be found on the Development Checklist page.

Transportation funding is a complex topic, but for the most part, transportation is funded through a “user pay” system – fuel taxes, vehicle registration fees, and other mechanisms, as opposed to coming from general tax dollars. Learn more.

COMPASS “programs” (budgets) federal transportation dollars for Ada and Canyon Counties through its multi-year Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Projects in the TIP must be consistent with the regional long-range transportation plan, Communities in Motion.

In addition, COMPASS assists in funding local and regional projects that are consistent with Communities in Motion through its Resource Development Program, which includes the Project Development Program (assistance in preparing projects to apply for funding), assistance with grant applications, Communities in Motion Implementation Grants, and more.

The COMPASS Resource Development Program helps COMPASS member agencies and other eligible partners secure and manage funding to implement regional and local goals consistent with Communities in Motion. The program includes:

• Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) (a multi-year budget of federal transportation funding for Ada and Canyon Counties)
• Project Development Program (assistance in preparing a project to be ready to successfully compete for funding)
• Communities in Motion Implementation Grants (grants for COMPASS member agencies to fund individual implementation projects)

Communities in Motion Implementation Grants assist member agencies with local projects that further the goals of Communities in Motion.

Visit the Resource Development and Funding page to access instructions and application materials to apply for federal transportation funding, Communities in Motion Implementation Grants, and Project Development assistance.

Different types of funding have different eligibility requirements; contact COMPASS at 208/855-2558 or email info@compassidaho.org for assistance in determining your agency’s eligibility for different types of funding, or to request assistance in applying for competitive grants (grant-writing assistance is available to COMPASS members only).

Transportation is the lifeblood of our economy. Without a well-functioning transportation system, residents can’t get to their jobs, farmers and factories can’t get their goods to the market, and stores can’t stock their shelves. Our transportation system impacts our quality of life, from how much time we spend sitting in traffic, to the choices we have in how we get around, to the safety of those choices.

The big deal is that we don’t have enough money to maintain the system we have now, much less to “grow” the system for the future. COMPASS estimates that the region will need an investment of approximately $590 million per year between now and 2040 to meet maintenance needs and the demands of growth. Funding estimates tell us that we are $270 million per year short of meeting transportation needs in Ada and Canyon Counties. Learn more.

The TIP is a short-range budget of transportation projects. The TIP lists all projects for which federal funds are anticipated, along with non-federally funded projects that are regionally significant. The TIP represents the transportation improvement priorities of the region, as approved by the COMPASS Board of Directors, and is required by federal law.