It’s time to be “Idaho Ready” for winter driving

Ahead of the busy holiday travel season, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) encourages drivers to be “Idaho Ready” for winter driving. ITD’s annual winter safety campaign aims to help drivers prepare for challenging conditions on the state’s highways, before hitting the road.

“Idaho Ready” tips and resources will be shared weekly through ITD’s social media accounts and website itd.idaho.gov/travel. Short videos, blog posts, infographics, and photos will teach drivers how to safely get around this winter. Planned topics include navigating the new Idaho 511, general winter driving tips for Idaho newcomers, how to keep vehicles ready for colder temperatures, and snowplow ride along videos to hear safety advice straight from ITD operators.

Each winter ITD’s 550 hardworking snowplow operators travel a combined 3.4 million miles clearing roads across the state. “Idaho Ready” also focuses on keeping these important employees safe. When encountering a snowplow on the road, drivers are reminded, the safest place is behind the plow—never pass a snowplow on the right.

Other quick winter travel tips:

Check the road conditions before traveling. Visit 511.idaho.gov or download the Idaho 511 app for an easy look at weather reports, cameras, and more. Idaho 511 updates are now tweeted too! Follow @Idaho511 on Twitter.
Keep a winter emergency kit in your car with food/water, small shovel, warm blanket, etc.
When roads are wet or icy, slow down and give yourself more stopping distance. Turn off cruise control and remember, bridges and overpasses are the first to freeze when temperatures drop.
If you do slide, stay calm, brake very gently, and turn your wheel in the direction of the skid. Try not to overcorrect.
Keep your windshield completely clear of snow and ice. Fill up on windshield washer fluid, make sure your tires are in good shape, and battery is charged. Learn how to use tire chains and carry them with you.
Give our snowplow drivers room to work. Never pass a snowplow on the right! The safest place is behind the plow where the road is clear.
Let others know your travel plans, especially if you will be driving through areas with no cell service. Check in when you make it.
Beware of drowsy driving! Stop and rest when needed, and plan breaks on long road trips. Rest areas are mapped on Idaho 511.
If your holiday celebrations include alcohol, plan ahead for a sober ride home. Look out for your friends and family and help them get home safely too.
Buckle up, stay engaged behind the wheel, and drive for the conditions this winter.

Follow along with ITD and the Idaho Ready campaign this winter:

Facebook- Idaho Transportation Department (ITD)
Twitter- @IdahoITD
YouTube- Idaho Transportation Department
Online- itd.idaho.gov/travel
Idaho 511- 511.idaho.gov, or download the app

ITD mourns loss of Jan Vassar, first female appointed to Idaho Transportation Board

LEWISTON – Longtime Idaho Transportation Board Member Jan Vassar passed away Oct. 22 at a hospital in Lewiston, the result of sepsis and pneumonia. Vassar was a member of the seven-member board for more than 12 years, serving the District 2 region of Nez Perce, Latah, Idaho, Clearwater and Lewis counties. She was the first female appointee to the transportation board.

“Jan was a great person. She was well liked by staff and her fellow board members for her gracious and humble presence,” said Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Bill Moad. “She brought vast experience and knowledge of transportation issues not just in her district, but across Idaho. Jan was a true professional, always prepared to make decisions on behalf of all Idahoans. She handled her board business with tremendous class and grace. We plan to honor her legacy with a fitting tribute at next month’s board meeting.”

Idaho Governor Brad Little was one of many deeply touched by Vassar.

“Jan was a dedicated public servant who made great contributions to our state and her community. She will be deeply missed by many colleagues, neighbors, and loved ones,” Governor Little said.

Vassar began her tenure on the board about the same time Brian Ness took over as Director of the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) in late 2009.

“Member Vassar understood what it took to provide excellent service to the public and was integral to helping ITD achieve all that we have over the past 12 years,” said Director Ness. “Jan was a tremendous advocate for transportation and for the people of this department. I can speak for all ITD employees when I say she will be greatly missed.”

Before serving on the Idaho Transportation Board, Vassar spent 29 years in the public sector, the last 14 of which were as the Lewiston City Manager. She began working for the city as an intern in 1977. Vassar worked on the city’s administrative staff in various positions before becoming City Manager.

“It was shocking to hear the news. I have known Jan for more than 20 years and hold her in the highest regard for experience and knowledge,” said District 2 Engineer Doral Hoff. “She was always friendly, thoughtful and professional. The district will miss her and we send our condolences to her husband, John, and the entire Vassar family. ITD has lost a treasured person.”

Note: A funeral service for Jan will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. at Saint Stanislaus Catholic Church in Lewiston, 633 5th Avenue.

Emergency repairs to Clearwater Memorial Bridge to start Thursday night

Repairs to the Clearwater Memorial Bridge are scheduled for at least three nights this week, from Thursday, October 28, through Saturday, October 30. During this time, joints on the eastbound lanes that allow the bridge to expand and contract with the weather will be replaced.

Both directions of traffic will be reduced to one lane each week night from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Drivers will be directed to the westbound side of the bridge to give crews room to work. Rainy conditions may affect the schedule and result in additional nights of work.

Work is scheduled at night to reduce the effect on commuters. Impacts will be very similar to a previous round of emergency repairs last October to joints on the westbound lanes.

A project in 2023 will rehabilitate the 1951 structure, but the joints will not be able to support traffic until then without significant maintenance and must be addressed now.

Download a rendering of what the bridge will look like after construction starts in 2023.

Idaho Transportation Department seeking bids for US-95 expansion south of Moscow

Traffic on US-95 entering Moscow from the south

The Idaho Transportation Department is now seeking bids on a project to expand US-95 south of Moscow.

“This a major step forward toward construction,” District Engineer Doral Hoff said.

Three years of work will transform 6.5 miles of US-95 between Thorn Creek and Moscow, shifting it less than a mile to the east and turning it into a four-lane highway safer for all motorists. The new route will tie in at Reisenauer Hill and feature flatter grades, fewer approaches and less severe curves. The current route is the last two-lane section between Moscow and Lewiston.

“Although drivers won’t see major excavation start until at least mid-April, bidding now allows us to get started on the business of planning for construction with a contractor,” Hoff said.

The first year of work is expected to focus on the southern end near Reisenauer Hill, with the following two years building the remaining connection to Moscow.

“We want drivers to know that this long-awaited safety project is finally ready to be built,” said Ken Helm, an ITD Program Manager who has been working on this project since it was first proposed in 1998.

Contractors can find the advertising package at itd.idaho.gov/business for at least four weeks, with the contract awarded as early as November 9. The contract is expected to be awarded for approximately $71 million.

More project information is available at itdprojects.org/us95thorncreek.

US-26 in Idaho officially named POW-MIA Memorial Highway during ceremony and sign unveiling in Carey

Image of US-26 POW-MIA Memorial Highway Sign Locations

Idaho legislators, representatives from the National League of POW-MIA Families, community members and the Idaho Transportation Department will officially celebrate the naming of US-26 in Idaho as the “POW-MIA Memorial Highway” at 2 p.m. Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at the Carey City Park – Boyd Stocking Pavilion.

During the 2021 Idaho legislative session, HB132aa sponsored by Representative Scott Syme and Senator Patti Anne Lodge, formally designated and named US-26 in Idaho, the POW-MIA Memorial Highway. The bill unanimously passed both chambers, respectively, and was signed by Governor Little in April.

Idaho is home to eight soldiers designated as MIA and the City of Carey happens to be home to one of those individuals. Jon Michael Sparks was a helicopter pilot for the US Army and was lost in Long Binh Province, Laos, on March 19, 1971.

US-26 in Idaho runs from the Oregon border to the Wyoming border. The highway naming is part of a nationwide effort to designate US-26 as the POW-MIA Memorial Highway from coast to coast, with several other states participating over the years as well.

There are 10 locations across US-26 in southern Idaho where new POW-MIA Memorial Highway signs will be installed.

Repairs to ID-11 slide near Headquarters to start next week

Repairs to the Idaho Highway 11 slide south of Headquarters will begin Monday, October 4, and last through mid-November.

“Monitoring devices have shown no movement since we installed them in the spring, so we are now able to start work,” Project Manager Erin Buck said.

The highway first sank in April, eventually creating an eight-foot drop off. ITD bored underneath the highway to collect soil samples in May to determine the severity of the issue and identify the best long-term repair.

“We will construct a soil nail wall,” Buck said. “At a high level, this involves boring into the slope and using 40-foot nails to connect the failing material to the stable material.”

One lane of the highway will remain closed, but traffic will guided by temporary signals rather than the yield signs that have been in place.

This type of repair has been used successfully to mitigate other slides in the region, including the 2017 slide at Bear Ridge Grade north of Kendrick on Idaho Highway 3.

Knife River, the contractor that resurfaced seven miles of ID-11 between Grangemont Road and Headquarters earlier this summer, will complete the repairs for $1.1 million.

ITD seeks feedback on draft Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan update

As the Idaho Transportation Department updates its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan, the public is encouraged to learn more about plans to invest nearly $35 million into projects and services over the next 15 years.

ADA Transition is the process of eliminating accessibility barriers to existing pedestrian infrastructure on the state highway system. It also helps identify programs that fund improvements through a coordinated effort with local highway districts and other municipalities.

In an effort to gather feedback about the plan, ITD will host an online survey as part of a 30-day public comment period that begins Sept. 17. The survey can be accessed at itd.idaho.gov/planning by clicking on the link. The survey is available 24 hours a day.

Staff will also hold a virtual public information meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 6:00 p.m. Mountain time.
You can find the meeting link posted online at itd.idaho.gov/planning or by emailing ADA@itd.idaho.gov.

Comments and feedback shared during this public involvement phase will be incorporated into a draft ADA Transition Plan, that will become official after review and approval by the Federal Highway Administration and Idaho Transportation Board later this fall.

For questions or to learn more about ADA Transition, please email ADA@itd.idaho.gov or call (208)332-7823.

ITD to meet with freight stakeholders

The Idaho Transportation Department will meet with freight stakeholders across the state this September to collect feedback and update its freight plan.

The Idaho State Freight Plan identifies how ITD will strategically invest state and federal funding in infrastructure to increase the safety, capacity and efficiency of the freight system for the benefit of the Idaho economy.

The document analyzes the needs and issues in Idaho, details policies and strategies to overcome them, identifies critical freight corridors and lists projects to be funded. These projects are supported by approximately $10 million of federal funding each year.

Freight stakeholders utilize infrastructure on a daily basis for basic operations and produce, ship/receive or transport the majority of goods within the state. Such industries include: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, mining, utilities, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade and transportation and warehousing. Those who would like to participate in the process should contact Scott Luekenga at (208) 334-8057 or scott.luekenga@itd.idaho.gov to get details on the available times and locations.

Participants will be guided through a 30-minute survey based on their industry. They are invited to engage in person at the following events:

Lewiston on Sept. 2
Blackfoot on Sept. 16
Twin Falls on Sept. 21

Virtual opportunities will also be accommodated through the end of September. Another round of public comment is expected in spring 2022 to review the updated plan.

New landslide database provides tool for project development and hazard mitigation

The Idaho Geological Survey (IGS) is helping the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) learn more from landslides in the Gem State. A new statewide inventory database of landslide and rock fall hazards released by IGS in late June will assist ITD, emergency managers, and planners with forecasting and hazard mitigation by identifying problematic hot spots.

The project was sponsored by ITD’s Division of Highways – Construction and Materials team and funded through ITD’s Research Program.

The inventory contains more than 2,400 landslide entries spanning from prehistoric to active events. It’s posted on the IGS website and can be accessed through an interactive webmap service.

The information was also added to ITD’s IPLAN online ArcGIS platform. The database includes attributes to maintain MSE retaining wall locations and risk factors to evaluate the condition of the wall, as well as attributes for rock fall risk, so ITD districts can assess the problematic areas that could cause road closures.

Data were compiled from historic archives, information provided by ITD geotechnical staff and district geologists, unpublished IGS field observations, analysis of LiDAR imagery, remote sensing, satellite images, and newly mapped landslides.

“The study represents a live catalog of mass movements across the state with a particular focus on transportation corridors and urban areas,” said State Geologist and IGS Director Claudio Berti. “The database is a tool for documenting and assessing slope stability hazards. It is not intended to predict future events, but to document known events and show broad patterns of occurrence.”

This new database replaces the last inventory published in 1991, a static map no longer suitable for modern digital analyses. The 2021 version will be kept up to date as new events occur or new information becomes available.

Landslide problem areas in Idaho include: Bonners Ferry, Clearwater River Basin, Horseshoe Bend, Boise Foothills, Hagerman, U.S. 95 between Pollock and Lucile, and U.S. 26 between Swan Valley and the Wyoming border. Geologic characteristics of the bedrock, fractures, systems, precipitation, regional hydrogeology, vegetation, wildfires, and steepness of hillslopes are all contributing factors in landslide initiation and development.

You can also learn more by reading the full research report linked here.

Heat stresses highways in Latah County

A broomer follows a truck putting down sand

After an early heat wave in June and this last week of extreme heat, Idaho Highways 8 and 9 in Latah County are showing stress.

“Oil is flushing up to the surface of both highways, which can make for slick surfaces,” Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said. “We want drivers to show more caution and know that we will continue to use fine sand to blot the moisture and keep the highways safe.”

Sections showing stress include ID-8 near Elk River and ID-9 near the ID-8 junction outside of Deary. Segments of these highways with curves, inclines or intersections where there is also heavy or turning traffic are more likely to be affected.

Over the last week, crews have also removed material to provide a better surface on select sections of ID-9 that received a sealcoat in 2020. Another project will be programmed in the coming years to rehabilitate the driving surface.