There was a claim circulating that the Post Falls Highway District owns a right-of-way on the South side of the Spokane River at Huetter. Tax records provided by the Kootenai County Assessor unequivocally confirm that this is, indeed, true.

If one of the justifications provided by the Highway District is that they possess 50 ft. of right-of-way at Greensferry which “ultimately saves taxpayer dollars,” what is the justification of not using a similar parcel at Huetter?

Admittedly there are properties on the north side of the river that would need to be acquired for construction but if the costs associated with obtaining these parcels is comparable with that of widening Greensferry Rd on the north and south side, what’s the limiting factor? The impact on this community would be far less than near/at Greensferry and would cross the river at a central location relative to Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene – shouldn’t that be considered? Moreover, the Huetter corridor is better suited for connecting these regions for north and south bound traffic, as well as east and west bound traffic (proposed Huetter on-and-off ramps).

Update from the Press: KMPO believes Huetter is the right place for an interchange.

Could the limiting factor be that the City of Post Falls cannot annex the area south of the Spokane River near Greensferry without first bringing in City Utilities? Would their options be limited to A) digging up W Riverview Dr. or B) building a bridge at Greensferry? That south-side and water front tax revenue sure does sound appealing to city planners, doesn’t it?

For one thing, a bridge at Huetter sure wouldn’t serve the City’s purpose, perhaps we should pose our questions to City Council?