“Eagle Road is closed” are words no Eagle resident wants to hear. But what if it’s to mark the end of a long string of occasions over the past two years when Eagle Road has been, well, closed?
For business owner Megan Hoiosen, the Friday closure of Eagle Road between Plaza Street and Aikens Road in downtown Eagle was a sign that her “town is back.”
The closure lasted roughly seven hours while crews reinstalled the historic archway that has signified the entrance to downtown Eagle for over half a century. The arch has been down for two years as the Ada County Highway District worked to revamp the intersection of Eagle Road and State Street, causing a slew of closures and hitting small businesses “harder than the pandemic,” according to Hoiosen.
Crews reinstall Eagle’s gateway sign — albeit a little further to the north along Eagle Road than before — as motorists enter the downtown area Friday.
Now the roads and sidewalks are open, and life is being breathed back into both the small business community and the city, Hoiosen told the Idaho Statesman. She owns Sweet Tea Living, a small home-goods store on State Street, around the corner from the historic sign.
“People are out and about again,” she said with a smile. “People are greeting each other.”
Megan Hoiosen stands outside her business, Sweet Tea Living, in downtown Eagle. Hoiosen fashioned herself a hard hat for “road report” videos she’s been posting on Instagram for the past two years while the roads around her shop have experienced closures.
Hoioson said the closures caused her to reduce her staff from 10 employees to three, stock less inventory, and come up with more “creative” ways, like monthly subscription boxes, to get her goods to customers who couldn’t come to her. With roads reopening, she has been able to hire three more employees, doubling her staff.
The downtown “mobility” improvements included $1 million in city funds to improve sidewalks and pedestrian access, according to Eagle spokesperson Laura Williams.
According to Mayor Brad Pike, now that the construction is over, there will be better traffic circulation, and his next priority is parking.
“Once this arch goes up, people will understand, this is the end of the project, and we’re really looking forward to getting back to normal,” Pike told the Statesman.
Mayor Brad Pike is happy to see the return of Eagle’s gateway sign once again above Eagle Road downtown. It marks the final touch to a construction project on the busy corridor between State Street and Idaho 44.
Hoiosen said the ordeal made her grow closer with the small business community in Eagle — but also taught her to be on the lookout for struggling businesses beyond her neighborhood.
“Go to that restaurant that’s behind the orange cone,” she said. “Look at that as a challenge to go support even more, because that’s when that business really needs you.”
Changes are coming to Idaho’s busiest non-Interstate highway. What to expect
Crowded City Council races. Millions in taxes. Who, what won in Boise’s suburbs?
This historic Eagle home still stands, but its future is unclear. Take a look
