MERIDIAN, Idaho — After months of delays, the Idaho Transportation Department says the final obstacle preventing the activation of new variable speed limit signs has been cleared, putting the long-awaited safety project one step closer to going live.

The electronic signs, installed along one of Idaho’s busiest roadways, will lower the speed limit from 55 mph to 45 mph during weekday rush hours — from 7 to 9 a.m. and again from 4 to 6 p.m. Officials say the safety project’s goal is to reduce crashes while improving traffic flow during the busiest times of day.

WATCH | Why these variable speed signs haven’t turned on months after installation

Eagle Road’s long-awaited variable speed signs one step closer to operation

The signs have remained inactive for months, prompting questions from Idaho News 6 viewers about why they had yet to be turned on.

According to ITD, the delay stemmed from the need to provide electrical service to the signs. Idaho Power first had to obtain easements from nearby property owners before power could be extended to the new infrastructure — a process that took longer than originally anticipated.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Meridian business owner recounts scary crash, welcoming lower speed limits on Eagle Rd

Idaho Power confirmed this week that the easement work and power installation portion of the project is now complete.

With electricity now connected, ITD says the remaining steps include final system testing before the signs are activated. The agency expects the variable speed limits could begin operating as soon as next week.

The project has been years in the making. Meridian Police have long advocated for reduced speeds during peak commuting hours along Eagle Road, citing the corridor’s growing traffic volumes and history of crashes.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | New road signs are coming to a stretch of Eagle Rd in Meridian

“I like it at 55, you get places faster, but it might help with accidents,” said Maddie Romine is a manager at Chicken Delite Mediterranean near Ustick and Eagle. She said she often avoids driving the corridor during afternoon rush hour because of heavy congestion and crashes she and her coworkers have witnessed.

“I don’t like to drive it anytime after 3 p.m. because it’s pretty congested,” Romine said.

Jim Howell, who drives Eagle Road nearly every day for work, said the corridor has changed dramatically over the past two decades.

“Lately, to travel 7½ miles takes 45 minutes,” Howell said. “Traffic doesn’t move because there are a lot of stoplights, so timing of the stoplights is key.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Meridian business owner weighs in on Eagle Road turn closures

Meridian Police and the City of Meridian said they were disappointed the project did not launch as originally expected earlier this year but are looking forward to the additional safety benefits once the system becomes operational.

Once activated, the electronic signs will automatically display the lower 45 mph speed limit during weekday morning and evening commutes before returning to 55 mph during off-peak hours.

Idaho News 6 will continue following the project and provide updates once the signs officially go live.

Eagle, Idaho – Quinn Guterman never expected to leave a reality dating show with a boyfriend.

“Definitely didn’t think I’d be coming home with a boyfriend,” she said in an interview with CBS2.

But that’s exactly what happened after Guterman met Tennessee farmer Brett Maverick on FOX’s “Farmer Wants a Wife”.

Months after filming wrapped, the couple says their relationship is still going strong.

“He’s here a lot more than he’s not because I’m working full-time,” Guterman said.

Brett says the relationships formed on the show were genuine.

“The conversations are all real. None of that is staged or scripted,” Maverick said. “Anything that you did see from our side of it, they were real conversations. You just didn’t see the whole conversation.”

The pair said one of the biggest reasons their relationship developed was the amount of uninterrupted time they spent together while filming. Without phones or the distractions of everyday life, contestants filled their days with puzzles, card games, and exploring the property.

“It was a really good time to just be around each other and get to know each other better,” Guterman said. “Honestly, that’s how I feel the connections formed the most.”

Now, they’re focused on making time for one another despite busy schedules.

“We’re trying to see each other as much as we can when we can,” Maverick said.

Looking back, Guterman says the experience changed her perspective on reality television.

“My biggest surprise is that I could find love on a TV show,” she said. “That doesn’t ever seem realistic.”

Beyond their relationship, both say they also left with lasting friendships among the cast.

“We have a really tight-knit group of people,” Guterman said.

“I don’t know if that’s fairly normal for TV shows,” Maverick added. “But for us, we’re all super tight. We all enjoy being around each other. We got friends for life out of it.”

For Guterman and Maverick, what started as a television experiment has become a real-life relationship they’re continuing to build.