Efficient business practices and construction methods are occurring across the state. In this edition of ITD In Motion, Jennifer Gonzalez takes a look at three projects that aren’t just meeting ITD’s mission, but exceeding it.
The Idaho Transportation Department project to rebuild the Thornton Interchange is a national finalist in the “People’s Choice” category of the America’s Transportation Awards (ATA).
Public voting is open and continuing through Sept. 21 online at www.AmericasTransportationAwards.org.
The project previously won ATA regional honors in late June. Idaho’s Thornton project was selected by the judges to move on to The People’s Choice award (and/or Grand Prize) and a shot at $10,000 in prize money. The prize money will be donated to a charity or scholarship program chosen by the winning state department of transportation. The winner will be announced Sept. 27 in Phoenix.
The awards are a joint effort of AASHTO (the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials), AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“This shows that the Idaho Transportation Department is being recognized as one of the best transportation departments in the country, and ultimately this excellence benefits all of Idaho’s drivers,” said ITD Eastern Idaho District Engineer Jason Minzghor.
“The Thornton project will greatly enhance safety and mobility in eastern Idaho area, and most importantly, saves lives.”
The opening of the new Thornton Interchange in eastern Idaho south of Rexburg marked the culmination of more than a decade of U.S. 20 safety improvements. Thornton was the last of seven new interchanges built in a 34-mile stretch of U.S. 20 between Idaho Falls and Sugar City to improve access management and traffic flow for greater highway safety and mobility.
Watch the video of the Thornton project below.
Despite traffic volumes more than doubling, these improvements drastically decreased serious-injury crashes and fatalities. In addition, several money-saving innovations and technological advances saved at least $450,000.
“Providing the contractor with a 3-D model for the Thornton Interchange and requiring them to use automated grade control during construction shortened the required construction time and reduced the impact to traffic through the busiest part of the summer,” said ITD District 6 Engineering Manager Wade Allen.
This marks the fourth Idaho project to advance to the national People’s Choice stage of the America’s Transportation Awards since 2013.
The Idaho Transportation Department is committed to safety for all members of the public — even for the smaller, younger members of our communities. Most school zones have been vacant for the past few months – but that’s all changing. Here are some back-to-school safety tips from ITD:
SCHOOL SAFETY: Return to school requires renewed safety focus
SCHOOL SAFETY: Children, drivers should follow bus-safety guidelines
SCHOOL SAFETY: Make sure vehicle is road ready before handing keys to teen drivers
SCHOOL SAFETY: School zones require reduced speeds, increased awareness
SCHOOL SAFETY: Parents should prepare children before walks to school
Here are the preliminary numbers of total cars traveling to and through Idaho for the 2017 Solar Eclipse: Our traffic counters near the state borders counted 449,530 cars entering the state between August 18 and August 21. This number was an increase of 71,140 during that same time frame last year when 361,270 cars were counted entering Idaho at those same locations. ITD estimates more than 160,000 visitors came from out of state for the event (see methodology below).
The bulk of the visitors came from Utah and Oregon. Areas where the traffic was busiest include I-15 between Utah and Idaho Falls, US-93 near Craters of the Moon, US-20 near Arco, ID-95 from Payette to Riggins, and ID-55 north of Eagle.
Many locations in the mountains saw a steady stream of increased traffic throughout the weekend, up until the morning of the eclipse. Monday morning, routes along the I-15 corridor saw the biggest spike for day-of traffic. Travel home did cause congestion along the above routes. Most of that cleared up by 5:00 p.m. Monday, though congestion lingered on I-15 until 9:30 p.m.
ITD experienced an increase in visitors to our online resources, including the eclipse web page and blog posts. Total unique visitors to these pages is 82,000.
| Traffic Counter Location† | 2017 Eclipse Traffic‡ | 2016 Comparison§ | % Traffic Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banks-Lowman Hwy | 7850 | 6220 | +26% |
| I-15, Pocatello (Exit 63)* | 112720 | 85840 | +31% |
| I-15, Dubois (near MT)* | 24210 | 17120 | +41% |
| I-15 Blackfoot (Exit 98) | 129280 | 106430 | +21% |
| I-84, W. of Caldwell (Ext 13)* | 116800 | 100740 | +16% |
| I-86, btw Twin Falls and American Falls (Exit 15) | 35650 | 36590 | -3% |
| ID-21, Robie Creek | 17610 | 14490 | +22% |
| ID-33, WY Border* | 33610 | 31610 | +6% |
| ID-55, Eagle | 56220 | 51000 | +10% |
| ID-55, Banks | 30330 | 30200 | +0% |
| ID-75, N. of Shoshone | 19110 | 16250 | +18% |
| ID-75, N. of Hailey | 60880 | 56990 | +7% |
| US-20, NE of Ashton* | 37870 | 35570 | +6% |
| US-20, W. of Idaho Falls | 9950 | 9720 | +2% |
| US-20/26, E. of Arco | 19080 | 12320 | +55% |
| US-30, W. of Lava Hot Springs | 27510 | 27860 | -1% |
| US-91, UT Border* | 35960 | 32210 | +12% |
| US-93, Craters of the Moon | 15080 | 7900 | +91% |
| US-93, NV Border (S. Rogerson)* | 24260 | 19280 | +26% |
| US-95, N. of Salmon River Bridge* | 15840 | 11810 | +34% |
| US-95, Fruitland* | 48260 | 44210 | +9% |
This number is meant only to be an estimate of visitors to Idaho for the 2017 solar eclipse and is not intended to be authoritative. ITD’s method for estimating visitor numbers took the change in traffic count from 2016 to 2017 at border locations (marked with *), multiplied by 2.5 people per average vehicle, minus 5% for local traffic. This method does not capture the number of visitors who may have flown into Idaho via commercial flights or backcountry airstrips.
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) has given the final approval to begin developing the Northgate (Siphon Road) Interchange in Bannock County. The department provided the final signature on the agreement between ITD and several public and private partners during Thursday’s Idaho Transportation Board meeting in Coeur d’Alene.
The partnership consists of Millennial Development, city of Chubbuck, city of Pocatello, Bannock County, Pocatello Development Authority and ITD.
The project will connect parts of north Pocatello and Chubbuck to Interstate 15 near Siphon Road.
ITD will now begin the selection process to design the interchange, with the goal of breaking ground in the spring of 2018 and completing the project in the fall.
“We think it will increase mobility and bring greater economic opportunity for the community,” said Board Chairman Jerry Whitehead. “This interchange presents a unique opportunity to create a public-private partnership that can serve as a model for the future.”
Summer is winding down, but with the Great American Eclipse and Labor Day weekend just around the corner, Idaho’s summer travel season should be busy to the very end. Sadly, both events have the potential to become tragic, with drunk drivers endangering themselves and others on Idaho’s roadways.
In an effort to reduce drunk driving crashes and to save lives, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and law enforcement agencies across Idaho for a high-visibility mobilization.
The high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, begins this week and runs through the Labor Day weekend holiday. During this period, local law enforcement will show zero tolerance for drunk driving.
“Our goal is to have zero traffic-related deaths in Idaho,” said Ken Corder from the Office of Highway Safety. “Seeing more officers on the roads during this busy time of year will serve as a reminder to drivers that we all need to do our part to keep our roads safe.”
According to NHTSA, 10,265 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2015 – approximately one person died every 51 minutes as a result of drunk driving. During the mobilization, officers will have a zero-tolerance stance on drunk driving.
“Between the eclipse and Labor Day, we expect to see more people out enjoying the last few weekends of summer,” Corder said. “We want people to enjoy these events safely – if you plan to drink, use a designated driver, call a taxi, use a ride sharing app or call a friend or family member. There’s no reason to get behind the wheel if you choose to drink.”
ITD and NHTSA are reminding citizens of the many resources available to get them home safely.
“Drunk driving is not acceptable behavior,” said Idaho Highway Safety Manager, John Tomlinson. “It is essential to plan a sober ride home before you ever leave for the party. That’s why, from the Eclipse through the Labor Day holiday, we will make zero exceptions for drunk driving. There are just no excuses,” he said.
POCATELLO – If Ruffles have ridges, what do riffles have? Beavers, it turns out.
When a few beaver dams on Tin Cup Creek in southeast Idaho started backing up water last fall at a culvert on Idaho Highway 34 and threatening to undermine the road, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) was faced with the complication of adding underwater bridge inspections for that remote site.
Instead, they added riffles — really good riffles. ITD constructed the riffles (rocky or shallow parts of a rough-water stream or river) to entice the beavers to build. That’s exactly what they did.
ITD crews first removed three beaver dams downstream of the culvert to lower the water level at the crossing. They also removed one dam just upstream of the structure, which lowered the stream channel and de-watered adjacent wetlands in a stretch of the creek.
In collaboration with the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, ITD crews repaired the stream by building two in-stream rock riffles over two days in mid-July. The result was better than what Idaho Dept. of Fish & Game (IDFG) wildlife fisheries biologist Corey Lyman expected.
The photo above shows Mark Porter (ITD District 5 Maintenance Operations) operating a Track Machine while building a riffle. The photo below, taken Aug. 8, shows a beaver dam already built on the new riffles.
The work not only stabilized the channel and protected the culvert, but also permanently raised the creek bottom, which had eroded down enough to disconnect the water from the creek banks and willow-filled floodplain. Streambed work also improved habitat for fish and for all wildlife living in the area.
“Without water reaching the river banks, the streamside wetlands were drying up and dying, and we were losing the habitat,” explained D5 Sr. Environmental Planner Alissa Salmore. “We essentially re-watered the area.”
The project also allowed members of ITD’s Pocatello, Soda Springs/Wayan, and Montpelier Maintenance sheds to gain experience in stream restoration work. This added to their skill set and reinforced environmental awareness.
Plus, it has already been successful.
“The fish were moving into the dams and claiming territory as we were cleaning up and leaving the project,” said Mark Porter of District 5 Maintenance Operations.
Porter also said that beavers have already begun building over the riffles, which was exactly the intent.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to travel to Idaho to view the August 21 solar eclipse – right in the middle of fire season. The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) has some simple tips to avoid accidentally starting a wildfire during your road trip.
The majority of wildfires in Idaho are started by us humans. Driving in your car can be the source of several ways those fires start, whether it’s hanging metal hitting the road or throwing out lit cigarettes.
Here are four things to do while you’re on the road to see the solar eclipse:
ITD hopes everyone traveling to see the eclipse has a fun and safe time. By checking your car before you leave and making smart choices on the road, you can help ensure this experience stays wildfire free.
The August 21 solar eclipse has everyone talking. Unfortunately, some of those conversations are filled with made up assumptions, inaccuracies, or straight-up lies. So, in this age of alternative facts, here are four road myths surrounding the eclipse we want to clear up.
We’ve heard it from all over the state of Idaho: “The route in my backyard will be changed to go just one direction.” This is absolutely false. This rumor is so untrue, the pants set on fire by those telling it runs the risk of burning down the entire state.
So, let’s be very clear. Whatever the configuration of the road is today will be the configuration before, during, and after the eclipse. I-15 will remain a north- and southbound road; same for U.S. 95 – and so on and so forth.
Most commercial traffic will be allowed to travel during the eclipse – though we want to throw out there that traffic will likely be congested. There will be a restriction on very large loads.
The Division of Motor Vehicles is implementing a “holiday protocol” for those big rigs. Starting Sunday, Aug. 20th at 4 p.m. and ending at dawn Aug. 22 loads exceeding 10’ wide, 100’ long or 14’6” may not travel on Interstate or State highways south of Lewiston.
For questions, call the overlegal permits department at 208.334.8420 or email at permits@itd.idaho.gov
Okay, construction is complicated. The window for crews to get into a place and do work that may take months to complete can be narrow. Where projects can be suspended to improve traffic flow and safety, we are doing that. For some projects, we can’t – if we’ve only got one lane done on a bridge, we can’t pull up and make a difference.
If it helps, we’ll have flaggers out to help move people along. Please use extra caution and patience in active work zones.
Areas where the moon will completely block the sun – the “Path of Totality” – generally fall on pretty remote parts of Idaho. We’re talking bad or no cell signal, sparse services like gas stations, and lots of big critters that can cross the road. Also, much of southern Idaho is a desert, full of dry grass just waiting to catch fire.
Plan ahead and make smart choices during your trip. Your GPS may not work in the mountains so bring a physical map (they still make those), extra food and water, and fill your tank full before you cross into the hinterlands. Also, make sure nothing is hanging low from your car or trailer. A dropped muffler can hit the road and spark, which is a great way to start a wildfire.
This total solar eclipse is a rare opportunity to see something amazing and we are excited so many people want to come to beautiful Idaho to see it. Help share these truths and bust those myths out there!
The Idaho Transportation Department is advising drivers who are planning to travel to view the eclipse to be prepared in the event of delays or an emergency.
The eclipse takes place on Monday, Aug. 21. It is anticipated there will be numerous travelers on highways and local routes.
Drivers should ensure their vehicles are in good working order. This includes getting the tire pressure checked, and making sure a vehicle’s battery, tires, headlights and brakes are in good working order.
In addition, drivers should carry emergency flares or portable signs to alert other drivers of an emergency, extra food and water, extra clothing or blankets for cooler weather, a flashlight with fully charged batteries, a fully charged cell phone and a map of Idaho highways.
The transportation department’s 511 web page and mobile app for Apple or Android will alert drivers to delays on the state’s highways. However, those planning to use the app on their smart phones or check web pages likely will not have cell service in remote or mountainous areas in Idaho.
When possible, travelers are encouraged to return home on Tuesday, Aug. 22, or later in the week. This will reduce the number of vehicles on highways that are returning home Monday afternoon.
The transportation department is working to develop a statewide plan to ensure motorists have the information they need ahead of the Aug. 21 event. ITD’s Jennifer Gonzalez shares some information about the agency’s preparation efforts, including how drivers can prepare, in the latest edition of the department’s In Motion video series below.
