The Idaho Transportation Department recently removed restrictions on several popular trucking routes in southeast Idaho, another example of the department removing restrictions on routes within the Gem State in order to improve commerce and mobility, creating greater economic opportunities for commercial carriers. In 2020, the department removed some severe curves along US-95 in southwest and panhandle Idaho in pursuit of the same goal.
The department will be examining roads across the state and making improvements to eliminate restrictions whenever possible.
Three routes (two on SH-36 and one on SH-34) restricted the size of trucks that could use the routes, and the detour could be as severe as 150 miles. It was causing a major disruption in the economic opportunity and freedom of movement in the area.
ITD engineer Kevin Sonico modeled some proposed solutions, and the D5 office in Pocatello ran some field tests, traveling behind some larger commercial trucks to test the width variables that the computer models had suggested. Evan Snow and Jerry Bauer filmed Dan Daniels as he drove a truck on the routes. Kevin’s models were verified. A local trucker offered to run the route in his slightly larger truck as well. Again, the computer model was validated.
| The change was implemented in May 2021, opening up more routes for the trucking community in the southeast Idaho area. This has eliminated significant detours, saving countless hours of drive time.
“We have seen an increase in trucks on the routes,” D5 District Engineer Todd Hubbard said. “We know the routes are safe and the carriers are ablr to take the best possible route to their destination. This change has saved significant time and money for the trucking industry.” |