The Idaho Transportation Department began re-striping work at the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and U.S. Highway 95 on May 27, marking the start of a permanent ban on left-hand northbound turns from Lakeshore onto the highway.

All vehicles leaving Lakeshore Drive will be required to turn right onto Highway 95, including those previously crossing to Lakewood Avenue. Drivers heading north will travel a short distance south to use the existing J-turn on the east side of the highway to re-enter traffic going north.

The change does not affect how north or southbound traffic enters Lakeshore from the highway.

According to ITD District Engineer Ryan Hawkins, the restriction addresses safety concerns at an intersection where vehicles leaving the Long Bridge create congestion and drivers waiting to turn left often block access to the J-turn.

The new striping is temporary. ITD plans to install a permanent raised concrete median later this summer to physically block left turns from Lakeshore. The department is also looking at ways to prevent drivers from using private parking lots and side streets on the east side of the highway as unofficial turnarounds.

Flagging operations on Lakeshore Drive may continue through early June depending on weather conditions.

The project is part of a $9 million effort to improve safety along the U.S. 95 corridor. A May 25 head-on crash near Sagle killed 18-year-old McCoy Jensen and his 48-year-old stepfather Joshua Pilch, and seriously injured Kurt Hoopes, 65, and Franny Hoopes, 59.

ITD installed a signal and median U-turn at Sagle Road in 2023 to reduce crashes caused by drivers crossing traffic. The department said increasing traffic volumes require additional safety measures such as the Lakeshore turn restriction.

Hawkins said the change will add a small amount of travel time for some drivers but will reduce crash risk by creating more predictable traffic patterns at the intersection.