The Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) is the forum for regional collaboration in southwest Idaho that helps maintain a healthy and economically vibrant region, offering people choices in how and where they live, work, play, and travel. COMPASS serves the region through four primary roles: planner, facilitator, expert, and implementer. In these roles, COMPASS develops multifaceted transportation and other plans for the region, brings stakeholders together, serves as a regional source of data and technical expertise, and secures resources to meet regional needs. COMPASS also serves as the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for Ada and Canyon Counties, and as such, develops the regional long-range transportation plan, Communities in Motion, and regional transportation improvement program (TIP) for the  two-county area. You can learn more about COMPASS on our “About Us” webpage.

COMPASS is an association of governments in Ada and Canyon Counties. The COMPASS Board of Directors is comprised of elected officials and senior staff from those member agencies.

For general information, call 208/855-2558 or email [email protected]. A list of staff, along with individual contact information, is available on COMPASS Staff web page.

Board and committee meeting schedules, agendas, packets, and minutes are linked from the Committees and Workgroups webpage.

Yes, the COMPASS Unified Planning Work Program and Budget, as well as annual financial statements, are available on the Budget and Financial Reports webpage.

COMPASS is funded through a combination of local membership dues, federal transportation grants, and other revenues.

Visit the Jobs and Contracts webpage to view current job openings.

Requests for proposals, statements of qualifications, and bids are posted to the Jobs and Contracts webpage.

COMPASS solicits feedback on specific plans and projects at various times during planning processes. During these times, public comment opportunities are highlighted on the COMPASS homepage  and on the Comments and Questions webpage, with links to more information.

All public events, including educational events, are posted on the Public Events webpage and the Events Calendar.

Yes! COMPASS staff are available to speak to your group or club on a variety of topics, including:

• • Regional demographics and forecasted growth
  • Long-term transportation plans and planning
  • Transportation funding
  • More!

Email [email protected] or call 208/475-2229 to request a speaker. COMPASS will try to accommodate your request but do note that speaking engagements are subject to staff availability.

COMPASS develops and compiles a wide variety of regional data, accessible through the links below:

• • • Bicycle and pedestrian counts
    • Pathway conditions
    • Demographics
    • Development activity
    • Maps/GIS
    • Performance compared to long-range plan goals
    • Traffic congestion
    • Traffic counts
    • Additional open data

Many maps are available online on the Maps webpage and can be downloaded for free. Standard printed maps are $15 per map sheet. Custom maps and analyses can be ordered at COMPASS’ standard hourly rate, plus $15/map sheet. Contact the GIS department at 208/475-2246 or 208/475-2245 to order standard or custom maps.

COMPASS coordinates orthophotography for Ada and Canyon Counties. Costs for orthophotography and related data vary; more information can be found on the Orthophotography webpage or by calling 208/475-2245.

COMPASS reports from the last seven years are available on the Reports webpage. Older years are archived on the Reports Archive webpage. If you need a hard copy of any of these reports, or an older report that is not listed on our website, contact [email protected] or 208/475-2229.

A regional long-range transportation plan identifies and plans for regional transportation improvements needed over the next 20+ years, based on forecasted growth and other factors. The regional long-range transportation plan for Ada and Canyon Counties is called Communities in Motion.

A fiscal impact analysis is the estimation of the net financial costs or benefits of a particular project, land use plan, fiscal policy, or demographic change on a jurisdiction’s budget. For example, when a new residential development is being considered for approval by a local government, a fiscal impact analysis would forecast potential revenues and costs associated with the proposal to help determine how it would impact the community’s budget. COMPASS conducts fiscal impact analyses on behalf of its member agencies to help inform the decision-making process; learn more about COMPASS’ fiscal impact analysis tool and process.

Communities in Motion is the regional long-range transportation plan for Ada and Canyon Counties. The Communities in Motion 2050 plan focuses on how bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure, freight, public transportation, and roadways work in tandem to comprise a complete transportation system.

The population in the Treasure Valley is estimated to increase from approximately 823,000 in 2024 to 1.3 million in 2055. You can find current population estimates on the Current and Historic Population Estimates webpage and learn more about growth on the Demographic Forecasts webpage.

In addition to tracking current growth, COMPASS also forecasts future growth for planning purposes. This growth forecast, the Communities in Motion Vision, forecasts and allocates population and job growth throughout Ada and Canyon Counties and serves as the backbone for analyzing future transportation needs for the regional long-range transportation plan.

COMPASS plans for the entire surface transportation system within Ada and Canyon Counties, focusing on four transportation components, with an emphasis on how they integrate to form a complete transportation network.

• • Bicycle/Pedestrian
  • Freight
  • Public Transportation
  • Roads and Bridges

This is likely the most common question we get – hence a longer answer than most. A train, or similar “high capacity” public transportation service that connects Caldwell to Boise, and communities in between, has been identified as a future need for the valley. Agencies are currently looking at the feasibility of two separate services – one north of the Boise River and one south of the Boise River.

• • North of the Boise River
    • Planning is underway for high-capacity public transportation north of the Boise River, along State Highway 44/State Street, to link the Cities of Star, Eagle, Garden City, and Boise. Long-term recommendations for this corridor include widening the street to add one lane in each direction primarily for carpools and buses, and eventually for a high-capacity public transportation service, such as bus rapid transit. Bus rapid transit is a bus-based type of high-capacity public transportation that functions like a train. Transportation improvements along State Highway 44/State Street are outlined in detail on the Build a Better State Street website.
  • South of the Boise River
    • High-capacity transit service south of the Boise River would connect the Cities of Caldwell, Nampa, Meridian, and Boise.
    • This service has been the focus of several studies and surveys over the past 15 years.
    • In 2024, COMPASS launched a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study as a significant next step in the planning process. The PEL study, branded “Let’s Ride Treasure Valley,” will include detailed technical analyses and public involvement and is expected to be completed by December 2025. Learn more about the Let’s Ride Treasure Valley study here. 

However, funding for high-capacity transit is a significant obstacle. Idaho does not have a dedicated funding source for public transportation, which is needed to operate any sort of high-capacity transit system. Without dedicated funding, work on any type of high-capacity service will remain in the planning stages.

Even once funding is secured, the process to plan for, build, and begin operations for such a system will be long and time-consuming. Despite these obstacles, COMPASS will continue to plan, within funding limits, for a future high-capacity transit system.

A connection between Bowmont Road and Kuna-Mora Road in southern Canyon and Ada Counties was studied in two phases from 2007 – 2009. However, topographical, environmental, and other impediments were identified, and the study was put on hold in April 2009. However, the idea has not been forgotten. A regional connectivity study south of Interstate 84 was identified as a needed, but unfunded, study in the regional long-range transportation plan, Communities in Motion 2050.

As a first step toward an in-depth study, COMPASS is undertaking a planning-level study to analyze extending State Highway 69 south of Kuna, as well as analyze other possible connections, new alignments, and a grade-separated railroad crossing connecting Kuna Road to Kuna-Mora Road (or vicinity). The outcomes will provide the information necessary for agencies to determine logical next steps and priorities, inform short-term budgeting, and/or position agencies for grant opportunities to help fund a more in-depth study.

An interchange at Five Mile Road was contemplated when I-184 (the Connector) was being planned in the 1990s. Working with the City of Boise and the Ada County Highway District, a decision was made by the Idaho Transportation Department to build an interchange Eagle Road instead of Five Mile. The area built up with that exclusion in mind and constructing one now would violate the best safety practice of interchanges being two miles away from each other (Five Mile Road is less than two miles from the Flying Wye), require many homes to be relocated, and be prohibitively expensive.

In 2003, the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) initiated a study of the “Three Cities River Crossing” east of the City of Eagle to serve as an alternate to the State Highway 55 (Eagle Road) and State Highway 44 (Glenwood Street) river crossings. In 2010, after reviewing different options, the ACHD Commission voted for the “no build” option because the cost and environmental impacts were more significant than the transportation benefits on the local roadway system.

Boise River crossing studies at four different locations (east, central, and west Canyon County and between Eagle Road and Glenwood Street in Ada County [same general area as the “Three Cities” study discussed above]) have been identified as needed, but unfunded, studies in Communities in Motion 2050.

COMPASS has established implementation policies and programs to guide and assist COMPASS and its member agencies in reaching regional Communities in Motion 2050 goals.

COMPASS sets regional goals relating to safety, convenience, economic vitality, and quality of life through the regional long-range transportation plan, Communities in Motion. Each goal area includes specific objectives, which have quantifiable performance measures and targets.

Every two years, COMPASS collects and evaluates data to assess the region’s progress toward achieving the regional goals and summarizes that information in Change in Motion Scorecards. The scorecards shine a light on where the region is falling short of meeting goals and helps guide decision-making by identifying priority areas of focus.

COMPASS reviews proposed developments and provides feedback, in the form of a checklist, to local officials regarding how those developments align with regional Communities in Motion goals and projected growth. All completed development review checklists can be found on the Development Review Checklist webpage.

COMPASS’ Participation Plan and related Title VI, Limited English Proficiency, and Environmental Justice plans outline COMPASS’ commitment to reaching out to all residents of Ada and Canyon Counties.

• • • The COMPASS education series and other educational events brings national and regional experts to the area to discuss transportation and planning issues.
    • Public comment periods provide opportunities to comment on specific plans, projects, and issues.
    • COMPASS’ Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Nextdoor accounts and InMotion podcast provide additional timely information.
    • The COMPASS online calendar includes Board and committee meetings, education events and open houses, public comment periods, and more.