Colton awaits road funding

Colton town officials are waiting to hear back on their proposal for a $500,000 road in Colton.

The state’s Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) will inform recipients of TIB grants by Nov. 19.

The town council wants to create a paved road from Highway 195 straight to Rimrock Road to divert heavy farming traffic away from the Colton school and open up land for commercial use.

County Commissioner Greg Partch, acting chair of the state’s Transportation Improvement Board, said the state has $80 million from which to fund rural road projects this year. Projects are prioritized, then funding is awarded.

The site for the proposed road currently holds a wheat field and a narrow gravel driveway that dead ends. While within city limits, the land is owned by the Colton school district and the family of Rick Heitstuman.

The town will name the new road Rimrock Road, simply making it an extension of the existing Rimrock Road.

Rimrock Road is a route to about a dozen farms southwest of Colton. It is also a popular alternative route to reach the Snake River and some prime hunting grounds.

Every year, hundreds of farming equipment vehicles must drive directly by the Colton school to reach the farm land beyond.

Weber said that the heavy machinery so close to the Colton students is a problem.

There have so far not been any accidents with students near the school, he said.

Colton has a limited amount of land zoned as commercial; the parcel of land which the new road will cross is zoned as commercial.

Weber said the town council would like to take advantage of that by opening up the land for use. The paved road, which will run about a block, will have sidewalks, sewer drains and possibly water and sewer (those connections are still in the works).

The town of Colton is applying for three TIB grants total. The two other applications are for the resurfacing of several side streets and to replace some sidewalks.