Highway 53 drivers face new traffic changes near Pleasant View Interchange

Drivers on Highway 53 near the Pleasant View Interchange are facing another round of access changes as work in Hauser pushes into a more disruptive phase, with turn-lane changes beginning immediately and neighborhood road access shifting later this month.

The Idaho Transportation Department said the new traffic pattern is part of the long-running Pleasant View Road Interchange project, which is meant to improve safety, mobility and quality of life along one of North Idaho’s busiest and fastest-growing corridors. For commuters, freight haulers and customers trying to reach businesses near the work zone, the biggest change is simple: the ways in and out of SH-53 are changing before the new interchange opens.

The project will eliminate three railroad and vehicle crossings on SH-53 near Hauser, a major safety move in a corridor where ITD said about 46 train movements were recorded each day at the crossings the project is meant to close. The final design calls for a diamond interchange with bridges and SH-53 expanded to two lanes in each direction, a change intended to separate highway traffic from rail conflicts and increase capacity on key routes.

Construction began in early October 2024 after a 2023 grant helped accelerate the timeline. Work resumed after the winter shutdown in March 2026, and ITD has said the interchange and highway widening remain on track to open to traffic later this summer. Until then, drivers will keep running into temporary detours and shifted access points around Pleasant View, Hauser Lake Road, Hollister Hills Road and Cloverleaf Road.

According to ITD’s April 28 update, turn-lane changes on SH-53 will start now, while access for Hauser Lake Road and Hollister Hills Road will move later in May to safer temporary locations. A center acceleration lane at Cloverleaf Road is also closed for about a month, and the center left-turn lane at Hauser Lake Road will close for up to one week before access shifts east to a new safer location.

Those changes matter well beyond the immediate work zone. Highway 53 is a key connector for daily commuting, school travel, emergency response and deliveries in Kootenai County, and even short-term lane closures can slow traffic and reroute customers away from businesses near the Pleasant View corridor. ITD says the end result will be a safer, more efficient route for the growing Hauser area, but the next several weeks will test patience before the new interchange opens.