Due to bridge demolition, the Inkom northbound entrance ramp onto I-15 will be closed for two nights. The West Inkom Interchange northbound entrance ramp (Exit 58) closure will take place from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Monday, June 23 and Tuesday, June 24, weather and other factors permitting.
Traffic will be detoured to Old Highway 91 and then to Exit 63 to head north on I-15. Please watch for crews, use caution, and drive safely.
Due to the nature of the work, considerable noise is expected during the bridge demolition.
The Idaho Transportation Department is in the process of replacing bridges on I-15 at Inkom:
- Over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and Old Highway 91.
- Over Rapid Creek Road (Main Street).
- I-15 bridges and reconstructing the West Interchange.
ITD combined and streamlined the projects to reduce the construction timeline to approximately two years rather than doing one location at a time over three years. This approach minimizes disruption to the local community and the traveling public and efficiently uses construction funds.
To learn more about the project or sign up for construction updates, please visit: itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/i15-inkom-corridor. This temporary closure and other traffic impacts will be posted to 511.idaho.gov.
Tomorrow the Idaho Transportation Department will begin repaving the southbound lanes of Interstate 15 from the Rose/Firth Exit 98 to one mile north of West Blackfoot Exit 93. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction and moved over to the northbound side of I-15.
The project will reconstruct the road to address rutting and potholes. Work is anticipated to be completed in mid-August. The northbound lanes were similarly repaved last year.
Motorists should carefully follow signs and posted speed limits while traveling through the construction area and are encouraged to use 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of project detours.
Today at its regular monthly meeting the Idaho Transportation Board accepted staff recommendations on priority corridors across Idaho using TECM funds to address congestion, including three projects on Interstate 15 near Blackfoot. Since Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation funds were first used by the department for bonding and advancing major projects in 2022, ITD has delivered timely construction of expansion projects across the state. Today’s actions are a continuation of that.
Funding came from House Bill 25, which was passed by the Idaho Legislature earlier this year. The legislation provides an additional $20 million a year to the Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation fund for the next three years and allows the department to invest an extra $1 billion in the Idaho transportation system.
With this new funding, the following projects have been recommended for advancing to construction:
- I-15 and US-26 Interchange (Exit 93): The existing interchange will be replaced to accommodate additional lanes on the interstate and to include longer on- and off-ramps for safer merging. Construction is anticipated to start in 2026, five years earlier than planned.
- I-15 widening from milepost 89 to 93: This project will add capacity by widening the interstate to three lanes in each direction between the US-26 Interchange and the South Blackfoot Interchange. Construction was previously not funded but is now anticipated to start in 2027.
- I-15 and US-91 South Blackfoot Interchange (Exit 89): The existing interchange will be upgraded to accommodate additional lanes on the interstate and include longer on- and off-ramps for safer merging. Construction is anticipated to start in 2028, three years earlier than planned.
With these projects now included in the draft Idaho Transportation Investment Program (ITIP), the public will have the opportunity to give feedback on this project and the department’s full list of planned projects from 2026-2032 during the annual comment period in July. Then the draft ITIP will be presented to the board for approval in September.
The board’s action today reflects continued investment targeting congestion and capacity in major corridors that were previously funded by TECM bonds as authorized by the Idaho Legislature. TECM funds have allowed for the construction of the I-86 and I-15 System Interchange in Pocatello, as well as the widening of I-15 from Northgate to Fort Hall.
These projects were identified because they are existing high-priority corridor needs that will improve traffic flow and increase safety.
The Idaho Transportation Department will begin construction Monday at the intersection of Pocatello Avenue and State Highway 39 in American Falls. The $3.5 million project will redesign the busy intersection to improve safety.
Work will place a signal at the intersection Pocatello Avenue and SH-39. SH-39 will also be widened to four lanes from the intersection to Fairgrounds Road. New turn lanes will also be built on SH-39 for traffic heading to Pocatello Avenue.
This year construction will take place through August and will focus on realigning and widening the intersection. All lanes will remain open, but traffic will be slowed in the construction zone. Flaggers will be present during different phases of the project. Access to the American Falls Airport and the Power County Fairgrounds will remain open throughout construction.
In the spring of 2026 ITD will return to install the traffic signal. Project details are available on ITD’s projects website at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/pocatelloave-i86b.
The Idaho Transportation Department will move Interstate 15 traffic Tuesday and Wednesday nights to accommodate girder placement at 2.5 Mile Road Bridge.
Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in each direction and shifted onto the same side of the interstate. Work will be conducted between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. each night with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour through the work zone.
Motorists should carefully follow signs and posted speed limits while traveling through the construction area. With crews working day and night on the project to make I-15 three lanes from Northgate to Fort Hall it is especially important that drivers be alert and travel safely.
I-15 serves as a major transportation corridor through eastern Idaho. These improvements will increase capacity and improve safety to serve the region’s growing transportation needs for years to come.
Motorists are encouraged to use 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of project detours. Project details are available on ITD’s projects website at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/i15northgatetoblackfoot.
The Idaho State Police (ISP) and the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) urge drivers to make safe, sober choices behind the wheel following confirmation that the at-fault driver in a recent fatal crash on U.S. Highway 20 near Henry’s Lake had a blood alcohol content of 0.20 — more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.
The May 1 crash on one of the main corridors to Yellowstone National Park, which claimed the lives of seven people, occurred just as Idaho entered the 100 Deadliest Days — the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when traffic fatalities typically rise due to increased summer travel, holidays, and impaired driving. Law enforcement and transportation officials say this preventable tragedy underscores the consequences of impaired driving.
“This tragedy should be a wake-up call,” ISP Captain Chris Weadick said. “No one plans to cause a crash or take a life when they get behind the wheel, but choices have consequences. Impaired driving isn’t just illegal — it’s deadly. If you see someone unfit to drive, speak up. Lives depend on it.”
Alcohol-related crashes remain one of the leading causes of traffic deaths in Idaho.
“Idaho’s roads are especially busy during the summer,” ITD Operations Manager Bryan Young said. “With more construction, increased travel, and an influx of visitors, we’re seeing more families and more drivers on the road. It only takes one impaired driver to change lives forever. This is a preventable problem, and it starts with each of us making responsible choices.”
DUI Prevention Tips
- Plan ahead: If you plan to drink, arrange for a designated driver, rideshare, taxi, or public transportation.
- Always buckle up: Seatbelts save lives and reduce injuries, though they do not replace the need for safe driving.
This summer, ISP and ITD are partnering to strengthen DUI enforcement and expand public outreach. We ask everyone to help protect lives by staying sober behind the wheel. The public is encouraged to report suspected impaired driving by calling *ISP (*477) or 911 if they observe erratic or dangerous behavior on the road.
Beginning Monday the Idaho Transportation Department will close Chubbuck Road underneath Interstate 15 to add facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians. The underpass was partially completed and opened for the school year, but with schools out for the summer the contractor will be returning to complete work.
Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month. Traffic will be detoured through the Northgate Interchange while work continues.
The old Chubbuck Road Overpass, built in 1962, made it difficult for large loads travelling north and south on I-15 due to its limited height. As part of the System Interchange project, the department decided to transform Chubbuck Road into an underpass to eliminate height restrictions. The new design includes additional facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Those changes necessitated a closure for demolition in 2022 and the construction of the two newly completed bridges to carry I-15 over Chubbuck Road.
Originally built in the 1960s, the Interstate 86 and I-15 System Interchange is undergoing a rebuild to improve safety and replace aging infrastructure. Work began in 2022 and is scheduled to be completed this year.
Motorists should carefully follow signs and posted speed limits while traveling through the construction area. With crews working day and night at the System Interchange it is especially important that drivers be alert and travel safely.
Motorists are encouraged to use 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of project detours. Project details are available on ITD’s projects website at itdprojects.idaho.gov/i-86i-15-system-interchange.
The Idaho Transportation Department awarded the Adopt-A-Highway Group of the Year Award for Southeast Idaho to J. R. Simplot Company and employees on Friday morning during the board meeting held in Pocatello.
The Simplot team has adopted a section of U.S. Highway 30 from milepost 330 to 332 since 2005. On average, 37 Simplot employees work together twice a year to pick up more than 1,600 pounds of litter. Items they’ve cleaned up have included car hoods, magazines, clothing, and a full box of “creepy-faced” baby dolls. Environmental Specialist Jeanene Lowry and Environmental Manager Jesse King were there to receive the award.
“We would like to thank the ITD, and all program administrators, which have made this program possible,” said Lowry. “The Adopt-A-Highway Program has enriched the Don Plant. The laughter and camaraderie that we have developed while picking up trash has had a lasting and invaluable impact on our employees. We have found the highway cleanup program to be a natural team-building activity that has positively impacted every aspect of production. It has given our Waste Minimization Team additional purpose and focus, especially in support of our ‘think outside the plant’ stewardship and sustainability goals.”
Idaho’s roadsides are indebted to Idaho’s Centennial Celebration in 1990 and the “Idaho is Too Great to Litter” campaign to help keep them clean. The Adopt-A-Highway program is a continuation of that campaign.
Volunteer groups “adopt” a specific stretch of highway – usually two miles long – and take responsibility for keeping it clean through regular litter patrols throughout the year.
ITD estimates that the program saves about $750,000 annually by using volunteer labor – in 35 years that adds up to about $26 million. More than 5.5 million pounds of trash and debris have been removed from Idaho’s roadsides through the program. The savings are redirected to highway construction and needed maintenance to improve Gem State roads and bridges.
There are more than 1,000 active volunteer groups participating in the statewide program. More than half of Idaho’s highways have been adopted. There are still many opportunities for other groups and individuals to get involved. Those interested in helping keep Idaho’s roads clear of litter can apply online at https://itd.idaho.gov/road-mtce/?target=volunteer-activities
