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.

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 over 50% by 2040, from approximately 712,000 in 2019 to 1.022 million. 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.

• The Executive Director’s blog and 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 Integrated Communication 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. Several studies have been conducted as initial steps toward this type of service.

The Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study, begun in 2007, focused on connections between three related planning projects: a downtown Boise multimodal center (opened in 2016 as Main Street Station; operated by Valley Regional Transit), a downtown Boise circulator (under study by the City of Boise), and a regional, east-west high-capacity corridor south of the Boise River.

Potential corridors connecting Caldwell and Boise and potential modes (types of vehicles) were considered in the Treasure Valley High Capacity Transit Study Priority Corridor Phase 1 Alternatives Analysis (2009) to narrow down options before moving forward for a more in-depth study.

While planning for a light rail or similar service is focused on corridors south of the Boise River, planning is also underway for high capacity public transportation north of the river, along State Highway 44/State Street. 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 a bus rapid transit. Bus rapid transit is high-capacity public transportation system that functions much like a train, but is operated with buses. Ten agencies have entered into a memorandum of understanding to coordinate planning and implementation of projects along the State Street corridor.

Bus rapid transit along State Street is identified in Communities in Motion 2040 2.0 as the #1 unfunded regional public transportation priority; rail, or similar high-capacity transit service, is identified as the #5 unfunded regional public transportation priority.

Funding is a significant obstacle. Funding is not available at this time to complete the project development or environmental analysis to satisfy the Federal Transit Administration requirements for a “fixed guideway” project, such as commuter rail or light rail. Even more significantly, Idaho does not have a dedicated funding source for public transportation, which is needed to operate a light rail, or similar, system. Without dedicated funding, work on any type of light rail service will remain in the planning stages.

Even once funding is secured, the process to plan for, build, and begin operations of such as system is long and time consuming. Within funding constraints, COMPASS will continue to plan for future “high capacity” public transportation to be ready when that time comes.

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 $513 million per year between now and 2040 to meet maintenance needs and the demands of growth. Funding estimates tell us that we are $235 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.