State Highway 16 (SH-16) in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

is a route, connecting

Emmett Emmett may refer to: Places ;In the United States * Emmett, Idaho * Emmett, Kansas * Emmett, Michigan, a village in St. Clair County * Emmett Charter Township, Michigan in Calhoun County * Emmett Township, St. Clair County, Michigan * Emmett, Misso ...

with US-20/ US-26 and

Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

Route description

Also known as the Central Valley Expressway and the Emmett Highway, Highway 16 begins at the junction of US-20/ US-26. It meets at a junction with State Highway 44, with

to the West, and

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

to the East. The highway continues north through Jackass Gulch and descends over 500 vertical feet (150 m) on the Freezeout Grade into the Emmett Valley. The highway then curves westward for a short distance, where it terminates at the junction with State Highway 52 just south of the

city limits .

History

This route has been in existence since 1929. Originally, the alignment terminated in

Horseshoe Bend Horseshoe Bend may refer to: Places Australia * Horseshoe Bend, New South Wales, an inner city suburb in the City of Maitland in the Hunter Region * Horseshoe Bend Station, a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Alice Sprin ...

. In 1938, the northern section of the alignment from

was then replaced by State Highway 52. When this happened, the highway then realigned to the west, terminating in Payette. The route was truncated at its current terminus in Emmett in 1955 when Highway 52 was extended on to its northern section heading toward New Plymouth. While campaigning for a return to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

in 1934,

Robert McCracken Robert Chad McCracken is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1991 to 2001, and has since worked as a boxing trainer. He once challenged for the WBC middleweight title in 2000. At regional level, he held the British super-wel ...

died in an automobile accident on the highway in May, near Emmett. His vehicle went through a guard rail and tumbled down Freezeout Hill. Firebird Raceway opened in 1968 on the west side of the highway, between Star and Emmett. In December 2012, construction began on the 2.1-mile Boise River Bridge section between SH-44 and US- 20/ 26. This 4-lane divided limited-access expressway opened to traffic on August 15, 2014.

Future

In 2007, plans are underway to extend State Highway 16 south of its current terminus to Interstate 84. A new interchange at the interstate is being studied as part of this plan, which will be built somewhere between Black Cat Road and Robinson Boulevard. The new highway is planned to be a 4-lane divided limited-access expressway or freeway. This project is part of the ITD GARVEE Transportation Program. The extension includes interchanges at Franklin Road, Ustick Road, Chinden Boulevard(US-20/US-26), and State Street(SH-44). The project is under design right now, and will go into effect in the next few years.

Major intersections

References

External links