Midvale Hill Gas Station Still Without a Development Agreement
Location. Location. Location. It is an overriding concern when residents and law makers discuss the proposed gas station development at the foot of Midvale Hill. A development agreement between Washington County and Steel National has been over two years in the making and has still not received approval from Washington County. The parcel involved is along the south side of Hwy 95 near the state snow plow turnarounds.
The development proposal lists three phases of construction. First would include a gas station, farm/convenience store, storage units and related improvements. Second would be a tire store, truck wash and related improvements. Third phase would be the construction of approximately sixteen RV stalls along the eastern side to serve as a privacy buffer for residents along Sage Creek Road.
At the Washington County Commissioners March 16 regular meeting, an engineer from Kellar Associates was present to discuss traffic safety on Hwy 95 at that location. He was perplexed at Idaho Transportation Department’s reluctance to do a traffic study at the point of entrance and egress. He mentioned traffic volume, turning lanes, percentage of trucks and speed would need to be examined. The county board also discussed the possibility of an acceleration lane for trucks coming out of the station who turn left to climb the hill. Fog and snow during the winter months is a major concern also.
The engineer with Kellar Associates told the commissioners that they were well within the threshold required by ITD to ask for a Traffic Impact Study that would take into account the new turning movements that such a development would generate on Hwy 95. The study would also take into account the number of gas pumps at the station and the percentage of truck traffic. Such a study would be paid for by the developer. Historical data from state highway traffic counters is used for impact studies. He did not think a traffic counter at the project location would yield enough historical data to be useful. Instead the state uses data collected for years from their traffic counters along Hwy 95.
The closest counter is just north of Weiser. According to ITD website, the average daily traffic count at that location was 5,739 in July of 2025.
After discussing the matter for half an hour the commissioners decided to ask for a letter of recommendation for a Traffic Impact Study from Kellar Associates to be sent to ITD.
The gas station development was the subject of three P&Z public hearings and a commissioners’ public hearing over the past few years. At all the hearings the traffic safety issue was a concern, especially from truck drivers. The project received a denial from the P&Z each time. In April 2024 the County approved the parcel rezone with a development agreement required for the owners to proceed with the gas station project. Some excavation has already been done on the site under a permit from Southwest Dist. Health. P&Z says that a development agreement is not mandatory to do that work.
Local residents are split on the need for a gas station/convenience store in Midvale. Many of those who see a need would like it to be built at a different, safer location. Often mentioned is the flat straightaway north of town with plenty of room for highway improvements and no hill with speeders coming down, although fog is still an issue.
