North Idaho transportation planners are studying the possibility of launching a public ferry service across Lake Coeur dAlene, perhaps serving Harrison on the east side of the lake and an undetermined port on the west side.


The ferry, which would carry both vehicles and passengers, would be one possible solution to transportation and safety concerns planners have about state Route 97, the highway that winds along the east shore of the lake, says Glenn Miles, transportation manager at the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization.


The KMPO, as its called, was formed in 2002 to administer federal transportation dollars in North Idaho, and is similar to the Spokane Regional Transportation Council, in Spokane, where Miles also is transportation manager.


Miles says the idea of starting ferry service on the lake is one of three primary issues being considered in a Highway 97 Corridor Study thats being done by KMPO and others. The other two issues are providing public bus transportation along SR97 and making safety improvements on the winding highway, he says.


John Austin, an urban planner for the Panhandle Area Council, a council comprised of elected officials from five North Idaho counties thats playing a key role in the study, says, State Route 97 always has been a very dangerous road, and transportation there has been a problem for a long time.


The $200,000 study began in January and is expected to take another 18 months to complete, Miles says, adding, My guess is that some recommendations could be acted upon within a couple years.


Although Harrison, located on the southeastern shore of the lake, is the likely eastern port for a ferry, where the ferry would dock on the west bank is unknown yet, he says. Miles adds that its also unknown how the ferry would be funded.


The Panhandle Area Council has been hired by the Kootenai County Commission to give recommendations on how to spend public-transit money in North Idaho. The Kootenai County Commission, through a contract with KMPO, is the designated grantee of federal transit funds in that part of North Idaho, says Austin.


A ferry would be a terrific benefit for the southeast side of the lake, he says. They really need to get a ferry if development continues on the east side.


Projects along the east side include the 700-acre, $100 million-plus Gozzer Ranch Golf & Lake Club project being developed near Arrow Point by San Francisco-based Discovery Land Co., and the 142 acre, about 235-lot subdivision in Harrison called Stonegate at Harrison, being developed by Vue de lac LLC, of Rocklin, Calif. The nearly completed first phase of Stonegate at Harrison was projected earlier to be valued at $30 million.


Austin estimates that the current one-hour trip from Harrison to Coeur dAlene via SR97 would be cut in half by a short ferry ride.


Harrison Mayor Josephine Prophet says that depending where the landing for the east port of such a ferry would be placed, the ferry could generate more business for Harrison merchants.


Another piece of the study will determine if its feasible to provide public transportation on SR97, Austin says.


City Link, a free, Coeur dAlene Tribe of Indians bus service, provides transportation to tribal and non-tribal riders on the west side of the lake, and in the Coeur dAlene, Post Falls, and Hayden areas. It has a fleet of six buses and serves about 16,000 riders per month, Austin says.


A second provider, the nonprofit Kootenai Area Transit System, primarily provides rides between homes in Kootenai County and City Link bus stops, he says. A smaller entity called Benewah Area Transit serves mostly senior citizens near the city of St. Maries, Idaho, near the southern end of the lake, Austin says.


He says the Coeur dAlene Tribe has land holdings on the southeast side of the lake, and the study will consider the possibility of expanding the tribes City Link service to include SR97.


Miles says there are limited options when it comes to possible upgrades that can be done to SR97, the third main focus of the study. Still, he says, safety improvements being considered there include more guardrails and the installation of more vehicle turnout lanes.


He says the study is being conducted by Ruen-Yaeger & Associates Inc., of Coeur dAlene; HDR Engineering Inc., of Coeur dAlene; and Northwest Dynamics LLC, located south of Post Falls.


Contact Rocky Wilson at (509) 344-1264 or via e-mail at rockyw@spokanejournal.com.