Category: North

So far this season across Idaho, drivers have caused eight crashes with snowplows. As more winter weather moves across the state, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) wants to remind drivers how to be safe around snowplows.

1. Never pass a plow on the right. Plows have a smaller wing plow that extends from the right side of the vehicle, which can be hard to see when the snow is flying. Drivers passing on the right and hitting the wing plow is the most common plow-related crash.
2. Give plows room to work and avoid their blind spots.
3. Be patient. The safest place to be is behind the plow.
4. Plows often work in tandem to clear multiple lanes. Never get in between the tandem plows.
5. If you are involved in a crash or stopped on the side of the road for any reason, please remain in your vehicle for your safety and for the safety of our plow operators.

The seventh and eighth crashes happened today in North Idaho, and both involved tandem plows. This morning on Interstate 90 in Coeur d’Alene, a driver got between two plows as they merged onto the highway. The driver then hit the brakes, forcing the second plow off the road to avoid a collision. Then around lunchtime on U.S. Highway 95 south of Athol, a driver passed the first plow on the left and then struck the second while trying to pass on the right.

Both plows are now out of service for the current storm.

“This issue affects everyone, not just the people involved in the crash. Every plow that is hit causes a domino effect making conditions worse,” said Operations Foreman  Shannon Thornton. “There are fewer plows on the road to deal with the snow that is still falling, and our crews have to spend precious time recovering equipment instead of plowing.”

Last winter, there were 11 plow strikes, an increase from years past and a number that ITD does not want to repeat. Please be careful driving and mindful of our plows. Check 511.idaho.gov or the Idaho 511 App for road conditions before traveling. For more winter driving tips, visit itd.idaho.gov/travel.

*For real-time updates on plow strikes, visit ITD’s Facebook or Twitter pages.

Snow has already fallen in the state, so drivers should get ready to drive with plows this winter. Talking about sharing the road with plows is really more of a discussion on what you shouldn’t do.

What shouldn’t you do?

Don’t pass. The road behind a plow is always better than the road in front of a plow. And all the snow, rock and other debris comes out of a plow at a high rate of speed––if you pass and try to drive through all that, the weight of the snow could force your vehicle off the road or break windows.

Of course, that’s assuming you don’t run into the plow while attempting to pass it.

Plows trucks weigh up to 58,000 pounds and sport not one, but two, plows. Everyone is familiar with the plow on the front, which is 12 feet long and takes up a whole lane. People tend to forget about the second, smaller plow positioned on the right side of the truck. It’s called a wing plow.

That’s the one folks run into. When plows are pushing snow, it comes up over the top of the plow and obscures all the lighting and flags. Again, plows weigh up to 14 times the average vehicle, so running into them is going to have an impact.

While not illegal to pass a plow, it’s recommended you never do so on the right side because of the wing plow. Law enforcement can and will cite drivers who act recklessly or carelessly and pass when it isn’t safe.

Operators will often work in pairs, especially on multi-lane roadways like freeways, to get snow pulled from the far left side all the way to the shoulder. Don’t try to pass several plows at once or drive between them.

Plows are large vehicles with blind spots, even when not working in blizzard conditions or pushing snow. Stay out of their blind spots.

If you’re going to pass, it’s important to consider where the snow is going. Our drivers typically push snow to the right, but in some cases, they will push snow into the median.

Sometimes there isn’t room to push snow into the median, or there aren’t enough operators available to tandem plow. You may see a plow working by itself on a freeway, pushing snow into the fast lane on the first lap and then moving it all the way off the roadway on a second pass. There may be enough room to pass safely on the right – but first slow down and observe where the snow coming out of the plow lands on the road before you make your decision.

When in doubt, don’t pass.

What should you do?

• Drive for conditions. The posted speed limit is set based on ideal conditions, so in winter you’ll have to slow down. It’s on the driver to determine a safe speed.
• Maintain at least a three-second following distance. On slick roads, you’ll need more time to react and stop if necessary.
• Move over. Any time emergency vehicles—which include tow trucks—are flashing their lights, you are legally required to slow down and move over into another lane if possible.
• Leave early. Giving yourself extra time will make it that much easier to make smart decisions.
• Download 511. No need to guess what your route looks like – download the 511 app or visit 511.idaho.gov to see road conditions and if there are any reported crashes.

As you head out on the road this winter, keep these safety tips in mind so that you and our plow drivers can make it home safely.

Over the next two weeks, US-95 will be paved in Bonners Ferry and the first season of the construction project will be substantially complete between Alderson Lane and Eisenhower Street.

Daytime paving will happen Monday – Thursday (Sept. 12-15), with work focused primarily on the northbound lane as well as some paving on the southbound lane. Access to businesses will be temporarily blocked while paving happens near driveways. The construction team will try to minimize impacts as much as possible. Friday night (Sept. 16) crews will finish paving the center lane. Once paving is complete, workers will adjust the manholes, stripe the highway and open all lanes back up to traffic.

Some work will continue until October to finish landscaping and to replace temporary wood railing near the north end of the project with permanent railing. Through the fall and winter, utilities will continue moving their infrastructure to prepare for the second and final season of work on this project. Next year, work will improve Eisenhower Street to Labrosse Hill Street and is anticipated to take from March to October 2023 to complete.

This project is the next phase of work that originally began in 2018 to rebuild US-95 through town with a continuous center turn lane and pedestrian facilities on both sides. More information is available at

Work has now been rescheduled to the following week. For the exact start date, drivers should refer to message signs placed on the highway closer to construction or 511.

Nighttime repairs will start again on the U.S. Highway 95 bridge over the Spokane River, with work beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Drivers heading downtown after 7 p.m. over the next two months should plan for congestion.

Last summer crews sealed the driving surface and began work on the railing. This fall crews will replace the railing as well expansion joints that allow the structure to expand and contract with the weather.

“Generally drivers should only have to contend with the shoulders being closed, but there will be a few weeks when the contractor is working on the joints that we’ll also close a lane,” ITD Project Manager Cole Mosman said.

Construction this year will be followed by a larger project in 2023 that will repair the concrete piers and paint the underside of the bridge.

Find live traffic impacts at 511.idaho.gov.

Next week conditions will change in the I-90 work zone where the freeway is being repaved between Wallace and Mullan, with funding for the project provided by “Leading Idaho.” All traffic will shift from the eastbound lanes to the westbound lanes by the end of the week.

“This roughly marks the halfway point of the project,” ITD Project Manager Cole Mosman said. “We’re keeping traffic to one lane in each direction and moving it to other side of the freeway so we can get to the remaining work.”

Eastbound ramps that were closed with the first phase of paving will now be open, but drivers heading westbound will only be able to get on or off at Exit 62 in Wallace or Exit 69 in Mullan.

“We want to remind drivers to stay engaged, especially through work zones,” Mosman said. “All season long we have seen drivers become impatient and try to pass. Passing isn’t allowed in the work zone and trying to do so can have terrible consequences.”

Construction began in mid-July to repave this 5-mile section. This next phase of work also includes the building of an 85-foot-long wall and fencing at milepost 67 to protect drivers from potential rockfall.

These improvements were added to the project after boulders fell down a steep chute onto the freeway during two separate events in June and November of 2020.

The project was originally scheduled to be constructed in 2024 but was advanced to this summer with funds from Governor Brad Little’s “Leading Idaho” investment, which includes a one-time transfer from the state’s budget surplus of $126 million dedicated in 2021 by the Idaho Legislature.

Work will wrap up in late October.

Other work zones on I-90 include paving near the bottom of Fourth of July Pass, bridge replacements in Kellogg and a range of smaller projects to address bridges, concrete barrier and ramps. Drivers should plan extra time for commuting and check 511.idaho.gov for traffic conditions and restrictions on up to seven planned work zones east of CDA this summer.

More than 80 oversized loads will depart the Port of Lewiston bound for Canada over the next 2.5 months, with the first load scheduled to leave next week. Richards Transportation is in the process of delivering windmill blades to Jenner, Alberta, with the largest loads measuring up to 325 feet long and weighing 137,000 pounds.

“This first load is the only one currently scheduled and will provide an opportunity to refine the transportation plans,” Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said. “After the initial run, we expect operations to increase in frequency.”

Nine loads will depart each week in groups of three from the Port of Lewiston to travel north on U.S. Highway 95 to Coeur d’Alene before heading east on Interstate 90 into Montana. Three loads are expected to leave every other day, with each individual load departing roughly 30 minutes apart.

Click here to see an oversized windmill load.

Pilot cars will escort each load on the one-night journey, with flaggers in place to close the following intersections:

• State Highway 128 and US-12/US-95 in Lewiston
  • US-95 and Lincoln Avenue/Walnut Way in Coeur d’Alene
  • the I-90 and US-95 interchange in Coeur d’Alene.

Drivers can expect delays as the loads move through these intersections at night. The transportation company arranged for a new on-ramp to help oversized loads make the turn from northbound US-95 onto eastbound I-90 in Coeur d’Alene. This ramp will not be open for other traffic. Traffic on the interstate will be slowed down by pilot cars to allow each load to merge.

Given the length of the loads, navigating to and through Moscow will be especially slow-going and will require significant closures.

The two-lane section of US-95 between Thorn Creek and Moscow will be closed as loads travel through for an estimated 30 minutes each. Timing of the closures will vary but could start around 9 p.m. Traffic will be allowed to pass before each subsequent closure.

“That section of US-95 is windy and narrow, and the loads will not be able to make those turns without taking up part of the oncoming lane, so we are shutting it down,” Hopkins said.

Each night loads depart the port, no parking will be allowed in Moscow starting at 6 p.m. on the following streets:

• Washington Street north of the US-95/SH-8 intersection to where southbound and northbound US-95 reconnects at the north end of Moscow.
  • Near the Main Street and A Street intersection.

While loads move through Moscow on US-95/Washington Street, traffic will be unable to pass. It could take up to an hour for each load to pass through.

“Given the extreme length of these loads and how narrow the highway section is in Moscow, the transport company will move each load at walking pace with staff on the ground to ensure that nothing next to the road is damaged,” Hopkins said.

Weather may impact the schedule. Traffic impacts will be identified on 511.idaho.gov.

Over the next two months specialized crews will target five locations for rockfall mitigation on two highways near Sandpoint, including U.S. Highway 2 to the west and State Highway 200 to the east.

“At each location, crews will scale the slope, which involves wedging and prying loose rock that has the potential to fall onto the highway,” Project Manager Josh Nisson said. “This project is meant to be proactive, reducing the risk of drivers encountering rocks on the road and bringing it down safely on our own terms.”

The locations to be addressed include:

• SH-200 at milepost 41 near Trestle Creek (two sites)
• SH-200 at milepost 53 west of Clark Fork
• US-2 at milepost 11 between Priest River and Laclede (two sites)

“While they are actively scaling and rocks are falling down towards the highway, we will not let drivers travel underneath,” Nisson said. “They’ll do that for about twenty minutes, let waiting traffic pass through, and then temporarily close the highway again.”

Crews will spend less than two weeks at each location. Drivers should plan for these delays while workers are on site, typically Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Otherwise, all lanes will be open.

Signage at each location will be in place roughly one week before work starts, and drivers are encouraged to check 511.idaho.gov for all impacts before they travel.