The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) has constructed the soundwalls at recommended locations on Interstate 84 beginning east of the Cole-Overland Interchange and ending at the Broadway Avenue Interchange. During the design process, an extensive public outreach effort solicited community input about the recommended improvements as well as to identify preferences related to aesthetic treatments and texture of the walls.

This project included extensive effort to review and address community needs and desires. In addition to public hearings required as part of the environmental approval process, public involvement efforts included door-to-door visits with property owners to gather input and provide project information, neighborhood association meetings and outreach, postcard mailings to affected property owners, and the availability of a website for interested citizens to obtain project information and submit comments.

Input was solicited from affected property owners regarding the design texture of the residential side of the walls. The majority of property owners, neighborhood associations, and the public at large who offered comments about the project favored the Ashlar Slate texture for the neighborhood facing wall. In coordination with the City of Boise and a local architect, the project team selected a Cottonwood Leaf design with Fractured Fin texture for the motorist side of the soundwalls. The cottonwood theme is consistent with the context of the natural environment along the Boise River in the project area.