Drivers can expect lane restrictions and possible delays near Twin Falls to begin Monday as crews from the Idaho Transportation Department perform routine biannual inspections on the Perrine Bridge.
Traffic will be reduced to one lane in either direction while crew members are utilizing the inspection truck. Work will occur at non-peak hours to help reduce congestion and is expected to follow the below schedule:
– Southbound outside lane closure: Monday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
– Northbound outside lane closure: Tuesday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Pedestrian access may be subject to short restrictions during portions of the inspection. Motorists should consider using an alternate route between the hours listed above. The schedule is subject to change pending weather conditions, so travelers should remember to check 511.idaho.gov for updates or pay attention to signage in the area.
Drivers are urged to exercise caution near the work zone and watch for crew members and equipment. ITD appreciates the patience and cooperation of those driving through the area.
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is hosting two open houses to present alternative concepts as part of the State Highway 44, Interstate 84 to Star Road Project. The alternatives include designs along SH-44 in both downtown Middleton and at the Star Road Intersection.
Details for the open houses are below:
- Tuesday, Sept.10, at Middleton Middle School at 511 W Main Street in Middleton. 4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. (drop in anytime)
- Wednesday, Sept. 11, at Star Fire Protection District at 11665 W State Street, Ste. B in Star. 4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. (drop in anytime)
The same information will be available at both in-person open houses and online from Sept. 10-25 at: https://itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/sh44pel. The project team held four previous open houses in January and April.
“Public feedback and stakeholder input have proven crucial to identifying suitable alternatives so far. Incorporating this feedback with traffic data has narrowed the number of alternatives carried forward. We look forward to sharing these designs and engaging with the public as the project moves to the next step,” ITD Project Manager Mark Wasdahl said.
In this study phase, ITD is implementing the Federal Highway Administration’s Planning and Environmental Linkage process to identify and screen transportation improvements. Once improvements have been chosen, the project will transition into the National Environmental Policy Act phase.
For details, assistance, or more information, you can reach the project team at info@idaho44corridor.com. Further project information can be found on the ITD project page.
Eighty-two* lives were lost in traffic crashes during the 100 Deadliest Days on Idaho roads. The Idaho Office of Highway Safety (OHS) has preliminary data on this year’s 100 Deadliest Days, when there is a spike in fatal and serious injury crashes across the state. From Memorial Day through Labor Day more people are out of school or work, on vacation, and celebrating. Risky driving behaviors like distracted driving, impaired driving, and speeding increase.
The 82* people killed this summer is slightly fewer than the 93 people killed during the 100 Deadliest Days last year. For all of 2024 so far 156* people have died in traffic crashes, compared to 165 last year. 2023 was the deadliest year for traffic crashes in over a decade.
“While there were fewer crashes than last summer, we still lost 82 people during the 100 Deadliest Days. Every traffic death is a tragedy, and we can do more to prevent them,” said Highway Safety Manager Josephine Middleton. “Whether we are driving for work or fun, we can always drive engaged, always drive sober, and obey speed limits so that we don’t lose more Idahoans to traffic crashes.”
Top 10 Contributing Circumstances for crashes during the 100 Deadliest Days (in no particular order):
- Fail to maintain lane
- Speeding
- Alcohol impairment
- Inattention
- Fail to yield
- Crossed centerline
- Overcorrecting
- Following too close
- Improper turn
- Drug impairment
100 Deadliest Days deaths* by ITD District and County:
District 1
- Kootenai – 5
- Bonner – 3
- Boundary – 2
- Shoshone – 2
- Benewah – 0
District 2
- Idaho – 4
- Nez Perce – 3
- Clearwater – 1
- Latah – 0
- Lewis – 0
District 3
- Ada – 9
- Canyon – 8
- Payette – 4
- Owyhee – 2
- Gem – 1
- Elmore – 1
- Adams- 0
- Valley – 0
- Washington – 0
- Boise – 0
District 4
- Twin Falls – 6
- Gooding – 4
- Lincoln – 2
- Jerome – 2
- Cassia – 1
- Camas – 0
- Blaine – 0
- Minidoka – 0
District 5
- Bannock – 3
- Power – 2
- Bingham – 1
- Bear Lake – 1
- Caribou – 0
- Oneida – 0
- Franklin – 0
District 6
- Bonneville – 9
- Clark – 2
- Lemhi – 1
- Fremont – 1
- Madison – 1
- Teton – 1
- Butte – 0
- Custer – 0
- Jefferson – 0
*All 2024 data is preliminary and subject to change
Starting Thursday the Idaho Transportation Department will begin a nighttime project to resurface a 9-mile section of Interstate 90 from River Road near Cataldo to Pinehurst. This project will involve milling down the driving surface to remove fractures, ruts and flaws and replacing it with a fresh, smooth layer of asphalt.
Work will be conducted Monday through Friday, beginning at 6 p.m. each evening until 6 a.m. the following morning and is expected to be complete by early October.
Although work will be performed at night, drivers will experience single-lane closures during daytime hours as well where the roadway has been milled due to the difference in elevation between lanes.
Several on- and off-ramps within the work zone will have temporary, intermittent nighttime closures during active milling and paving but will be open during the day for access.
- Exit 39 at Mission Road
- Exit 40 at Latour Creek Road
- Exit 43 at Kingston
- Exit 45 at Pine Creek
Roadside digital signs will inform drivers of specific information regarding ramp closures.
Drivers, especially motorcyclists, should exercise caution when accessing these ramps as they travel over between milled and un-milled lanes.
This work zone will encompass ongoing work at the I-90 Coeur d’Alene River Bridges. Traffic control will be coordinated with the existing work zone to guide drivers through the area safely.
Up-to-the-minute information about lane and ramp closures, traffic impacts, and delays can be found by using the Idaho 511 system.
Beginning tomorrow night, the northbound to westbound ramp of the Interstate 86/Interstate 15 System Interchange will be closed to allow for demolition of the old eastbound to northbound bridge. Traffic intending to travel westbound on Interstate 86 from northbound Interstate 15 will be detoured through the Northgate Interchange. Work will continue until Thursday when the ramp reopens at 7:30 a.m.
Originally built in the 1960s, this is the last existing bridge of the System Interchange that will need demolition as part of the $112 million redesign. The project is scheduled to be completed next summer.
Motorists should carefully follow signs and posted speed limits while traveling through the construction area. With crews working day and night, it is especially important that drivers be alert and proceed safely through the work zone.
Motorists are encouraged to use 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of project detours. Project details are also available at https://itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/i-86i-15-system-interchange
Three railroad crossings on State Highway 38 near Malad will close for repairs for up to three weeks starting Sept. 19, with some work beginning next week. Detours will be posted and message boards will be in place to alert the public to the coming road closure.
Preliminary work at the crossings will consist of delivery of materials and prebuilding new rail track panels outside the roadway and will not cause full closures.
Crews will replace the concrete pads and rails to make the crossings smoother. New drains will also be installed to address ponding issues.
Traffic impacts from this project and others are always available at 511.idaho.gov
Police and sheriffs’ departments from across the state are joining the Idaho Office of Highway Safety (OHS) in a Labor Day Impaired Driving Mobilization. Expect to see more officers on the road now through September 2 to stop impaired drivers before they hurt themselves or someone else.
Labor Day also marks the end of the 100 Deadliest Days on Idaho Roads. It’s the time when Idaho sees a rise in impaired, distracted and aggressive driving that leads to more injuries and deaths on our roads.
At the start of the summer there were a lot of deadly crashes. The number of fatalities was trending above the previous year, however the rate of deadly crashes slowed after the Fourth of July. Currently 70* people have been killed on Idaho roads this summer, that’s less than last summer at this time, when the total was 79. This year-to-date 145* people have been killed in traffic crashes, compared to 151 at this time in 2023. In 2023 there were 275 total traffic deaths, the deadliest year in over a decade.
“Every crash is a tragedy, and in the case of impaired driving crashes, they are always preventable,” explained Highway Safety Manager Josephine Middleton, “We partner with police to stop drunk drivers from hurting people, but everyone can have a positive impact by getting a sober ride home instead of driving impaired.”
*Preliminary data, subject to change
U.S. Highway 20 Exit 333 for Rexburg will remain closed through Labor Day weekend and into next week. Contractors and crews have encountered multiple difficulties on site, including the breakage and repair of a main sewer line last week, causing unanticipated delays. The Idaho Transportation Department is now committed to Exit 333 being open ahead of the influx of university traffic on Friday, September 13.
While this primary exit into Rexburg has been closed during the month of August, ITD and contractor partners have repaired and rebuilt multiple city utilities, constructed and repaired drainage and irrigation systems, as well as removed and reconfigured the road itself. This work takes additional operational time now but will save city and community partners from having to close the roadway for infrastructure needs in the future.
“We know that Rexburg has endured a lot with construction this summer,” Project Manager Conner Huffaker said. “We hope people will continue to be patient for just a little longer and know that the end outcome will be a major improvement for the long-term future.”
Completion of all work on both Exit 332 for University Boulevard and Exit 333 for Main Street is still expected to be completed by late fall. Motorists should plan for continued construction near the interchanges until that time, with at least one lane of traffic open in both directions.
Exit 333 will reopen with the same diverging diamond interchange design as is now operating at exit 332. This traffic pattern is far more efficient than what was in place before and will greatly improve travel to and from Rexburg.
Further details about this project and how to drive the new design can be found at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/us20rexburg.
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Operators with the Idaho Transportation Department have spent over 3,000 hours clearing hazard trees from more than 12 miles of highways in the Panhandle this summer.
“In 2023 we initiated a statewide roadside tree assessment and enhanced removal plan to understand the scope of work to expand our ability to address Idaho highway hazards, “ confirms ITD Chief Deputy Director Dan McElhinney, “Working with federal partners and local owners, we have taken lead in clearing highway adjacent hazard trees for improving errant driver safety recovery zones, wildlife visibility, and fire protection widths by using innovative new cutting equipment resources for ITD employees and now adding contracts with local firms to tackle larger removal projects with ITD during the next few years.”
This summer alone ITD maintenance operators addressed a five-mile stretch of State Highway 5 near Heyburn State Park, roughly four miles of State Highway 54 between Athol and Farragut State Park, a three-mile stretch of State Highway 97, multiple zones adjacent to I-90 and several emergency tree removals across State Highway 57 after falls across the roadway.
Next year the department plans to work with the Priest River Ranger District to clear all 37 miles along State Highway 57. Besides making the road safer for travelers, tree removal is also heavily supported from the perspective of the U.S. Forest Service as a fire break through this densely wooded area between Priest River and Priest Lake.
This year staff in North Idaho were also able to test out several new machines to best utilize funding for equipment. One operation planned for two days along Interstate 90 was completed in just four hours with the use of a FAE Forestry Mulcher. The mulcher not only grinds downed trees to eliminate the cost and work of waste removal, but also has the capability to cut and fall trees up to 18 inches in diameter, which represent the vast majority of trees within the roadway clear zone. With the help of its cutting and falling capabilities, this single-operator mulcher also enhances safety by eliminating the need for sawyers to work on the ground within the fall zone.
ITD plans to continue its focus on tree removal along highways by working with agency and utility partners, dedicating staff time to this effort and purchasing new equipment to make operations safer and more efficient.
The Idaho Transportation Department will begin preparations next week to replace the Fleming Creek Bridge on State Highway 55 near Banks. Work is expected to begin Wednesday, Sept. 4 and is anticipated to be completed in Spring 2025.
Fleming Creek runs under SH-55 toward the Payette River approximately 3.7 miles south of Banks. The current bridge is a culvert and has reached the end of its design life.
During construction, motorists can expect a reduced speed limit, 11-foot width restrictions and no shoulders on SH-55 throughout the work zone. Most work will take place Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be intermittent night work and lane closures from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Flaggers and a temporary traffic signal will direct motorists during lane closures.
“We are completing the majority of work from Fall 2024 to Spring 2025,” said ITD project manager Greer Gardner. “Our hope is that doing this project during the ‘off-season’ will help alleviate traffic congestion and delays along State Highway 55.”
For more information on this project, visit itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/55-fleming-creek.
