Court: Sandpoint Highway Bypass Can Go Forward

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal appeals court has cleared the way for the construction of a controversial U.S. 95 bypass in the resort town of Sandpoint, Idaho.

A three judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals announced its decision Wednesday, just two days after hearing arguments in the case.

A group of environmental and community activists had asked the judges to reinstate their challenge of the $98 million project, claiming the new Sand Creek Bypass on U.S. 95 would blight the town’s scenic waterfront and destroy the creek that flows through town.

The judges issued only a brief order saying construction could begin, and that a full decision explaining their reasoning would follow “in due course.”