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One river, one bridge, one traffic signal: St. Anthony’s street map explains itself
One river, one bridge, one traffic signal
Most towns spread where the ground lets them. St. Anthony grew on both banks of a river it can cross in exactly one place downtown — and nearly every street fact in the city’s comprehensive plan traces back to that geometry:
“The city of St. Anthony is bisected by the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. The northern and southern sections of the city are connected by a single bridge.”
— City of St. Anthony Comprehensive Plan, ch. 9, Transportation (adopted August 2006; mileage updated 2019). Retrieved 23 September 2026
For anyone building here, that one sentence does quiet work. It sets which half of town a lot belongs to, which way the school run bends at 8 a.m., and why the intersection of Main and Bridge carries the only traffic signal in the city — with two at-grade railroad crossings layered on top of the same funnel.
The inventory, counted
The plan counts its streets like a shop counts tools. In 2005 the city held:
- 24.4 total miles of road
- 18.4 miles paved, leaving six miles of gravel
- Five bridges
- One traffic signal, at Main and Bridge Street
- Two at-grade railroad crossings within the city
A 2019 update by Forsgren and Associates added mileage, “bringing the total to 24.7 miles” — a small number until you notice it moved while the city’s bridge count did not. The sidewalk split follows the river too: most streets north of the Henry’s Fork have sidewalks; about half south of it do. Which side of the river a lot sits on still predicts the walk to the park.
What the plan wants built next
Chapter 9’s policies are where a builder should read closely, because two of them reach into private land:
- The block grid: the city commits to “encourage the City’s 350 ft. block grid in future developments wherever feasible.” Translation: a new subdivision in St. Anthony will be nudged toward the same compact rectangle the old town is drawn on — short blocks, connected streets — not long cul-de-sac loops.
- Corridor preservation: “Preserve important future roadway connections and corridors from development.” Translation: the city has drawn where future streets should connect, and a lot sitting on one of those lines can have a building envelope shaped by a road that does not exist yet.
The plan’s project history shows the same instincts at work on pavement. The 2012 capital list:
- Rebuilt West 7th South, West 3rd North, and North 1st West.
- Milled South 2nd East.
- Studied an industrial-park road connection — and dropped it after the landowner refused access, a reminder that corridors only become streets when the ground agrees.
- Kept the pedestrian wishlist pointed the same direction: continuing the North Bridge Street sidewalk and extending the Greenbelt pathway.
What the grid means for your lot
- Before designing near the edge of town, ask the city about mapped future connections — corridor preservation is policy, and it shapes what can sit where.
- If you are platting, expect the 350-foot block conversation in review; the grid is the default the city encourages.
- Priced the walkability? Sidewalk frontage is a duty at occupancy, and the river decides whether your street already has a network to join.
- Think about the bridge at rush hour when choosing which half of town to build in — one crossing means every cross-town trip funnels past one signal.
- Then bring the lot questions that follow the streets — water, sewer, and the rest: (208) 656-1745.
Streets are the spine everything else hangs on: the water and sewer mains follow them, the sidewalk duty fronts them, and the plan’s view of hazards and growth — the hazards chapter — decides how the map fills in around them, one annexation at a time.
Common questions
How many bridges cross the river in St. Anthony?
The comprehensive plan states that the northern and southern sections of the city are connected by a single bridge across the Henry's Fork of the Snake River - though the city counts five bridges in its overall roadway inventory. The single downtown crossing is why Main and Bridge streets carry the city's only traffic signal.
How many miles of road does St. Anthony have?
The 2005 inventory counted 24.4 total miles - 18.4 paved and six gravel - across five bridges. A 2019 update brought the total to 24.7 miles.
Does St. Anthony have a traffic signal?
One, at Main and Bridge Street, plus two at-grade railroad crossings within the city. Everything that crosses the river downtown funnels through that intersection.
Which parts of St. Anthony have sidewalks?
Most streets north of the river have sidewalks; about half of the streets in the southern portion do. The split traces straight back to the river and how each half of town developed.
What is the 350-foot block grid policy?
A transportation policy in the comprehensive plan: encourage the city's 350-foot block grid in future developments wherever feasible. In practice it nudges new subdivisions toward short, connected blocks like the older town, rather than long isolated loops.
What does corridor preservation mean for a lot I want to build on?
The plan directs the city to preserve important future roadway connections and corridors from development. If a mapped future connection crosses or borders a property, it can shape where buildings can sit - a question to ask the city before finalizing a site plan at the edge of town.
When was the comprehensive plan written?
The plan was adopted in August 2006, with updates since - the roadway mileage figures come from a 2019 update by Forsgren and Associates. The 2012 capital improvement list shows the rebuild cycle: West 7th South, West 3rd North, North 1st West, and milling South 2nd East.
Why did the industrial park road connection never happen?
The plan records that the connection was studied and dropped as infeasible after the landowner refused access. It is the concrete example behind the corridor-preservation policy: streets only get built where the ground - and its owners - allow them.