The 2016/2017 winter and spring across Idaho will likely be remembered for its intensity on all fronts-from snow to floods to the damage left in its wake. In this edition of ITD in Motion, Jennifer Gonzalez talked to our crews on the front line about their experiences battling every challenge Mother Nature has thrown our way.
Work will begin work Monday (May 1), weather permitting, to resurface eight miles of Interstate 15 from the Lava Beds to the Bonneville County Line. I-15 will be reduced to one lane in both directions in the project area until later this summer. This project is among 10 maintenance projects scheduled this year along 190 miles of I-15 in eastern Idaho.
Construction began between the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and Blackfoot earlier this month, and additional work is scheduled to begin in Pocatello later in May.
During construction, motorists are urged to plan extra time when traveling through the construction zone, pay attention to signage and changing traffic patterns, and slow down.
The Idaho Transportation Board has approved funding to repair and add lanes on Interstate 84 between Franklin Boulevard and Karcher Road in Nampa in order to reduce congestion and improve safety in the region.
In a unanimous decision, the board approved $150 million in GARVEE (Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle) bonds. This allows the department to advance a widening project to reconstruct existing lanes, add a third lane in each direction, and upgrade bridges between Franklin and Karcher.
“We recognize this I-84 corridor presents immediate safety and congestion concerns,” said chairman of the board Jerry Whitehead. “ITD engineers have shown a readiness to tackle the project and the board supports moving quickly to improve this section of road.”
This Franklin to Karcher project is moving fast, thanks to ITD staff completing initial planning and environmental assessment.
“We have known this corridor is a top concern that affects all of Idaho,” said ITD Director Brian Ness. “By adding lane miles, we can move more goods and services to businesses while reducing crashes. We thank the board for the opportunity to move forward as quickly as possible on this project.”
The $150 million authorization from the board is only half of the amount lawmakers allotted with Senate Bill 1206. Board members are reviewing other authorized corridors the bill outlined for GARVEE bonds.
“As we determine which projects to prioritize, we need the best information on all applicable corridors,” said Whitehead. “We look forward to getting that data from ITD engineers and moving forward in future board meetings.”
In future board meetings, the members will consider how best to spend the other revenue streams lawmakers created this year. That includes the surplus eliminator, one percent of sales tax, and a portion of the cigarette tax.
LEWISTON – Two transportation bills were passed into law at the end of the recent Idaho Legislative session, giving the Idaho Transportation Department access to millions of dollars to invest in improving the state transportation system and funding pedestrian-safety improvements.
During the Idaho Transportation Board meeting Friday (April 21) in Lewiston, board members will be given a list of possible projects to fund through the newly authorized GARVEE (Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle) bonds. These include four corridors with work left incomplete from the 2005-2014 GARVEE bonds.
The funding creates four revenue streams for transportation funding. First, they authorized ITD to borrow $300 million in GARVEE bonds. Next, they extended the “surplus eliminator” until 2019, with a 60/40 split among state and local transportation agencies. They also included 1 percent of sales tax and a portion of the cigarette tax going to a Congestion Mitigation Fund. This makes a total estimated funding of approximately $300 million.
This marks the second new road-funding package in recent years. In 2015, increases to the gas tax and registration fees allowed ITD to perform necessary maintenance on deteriorating infrastructure.
The new revenue from user fees has funded repairs on 60 projects across the state. All but a few of those projects were completed in just 18 months. The remaining few will finish this summer and fall.
Watch a video about the rapid repairs using new revenue here.
ITD crews were on scene with cameras rolling as a hillside broke free and covered a section of U.S. 95 south of Bonners Ferry on Friday, April 7.
In the video, you can see tons of mud, rocks, and trees slide down, pushing two layers of concrete barriers off the road. Overall, 800 cubic yards of debris slid onto the road.
Thanks to quick action of ITD crews on scene, no one was injured by the slide. ITD Land Surveyor Mathew Wilson, who took the video, was assessing the hillside stability. He heard popping and cracking and knew another slide was imminent. Thinking quickly, the flaggers on scene stopped traffic and just three minutes later the hillside gave way.
ITD crews cleared the debris from the road Friday evening. Additionally, crews dug out an extra 600 cubic yards of dirt beside the road to create a channel for water to run.
Currently, ITD is keeping one lane open on this section for the safety of the traveling public. Cars will travel on the southbound lane, away from the hillside. Flaggers will direct traffic and actively monitor the area.
This section of hillside continues to be unstable. Crews have noted progressive shifting near U.S. 95. Rain is in the forecast and there remains 18 inches of snow above the slide area. ITD is working with geology specialists to assess the situation. With public safety as a priority, additional traffic control measures may be taken.
Several areas of North Idaho are impacted by this year’s historic winter precipitation. Slides have occurred on Idaho State Highways 3, 5, 57, and 97.
Reconstruction of two bridges on U.S. 95 in Parma will begin in mid-April.
Work will occur at the junction of U.S. 95 and U.S. 20/26 and include the reconstruction of the Union Pacific Railroad overpass, Sand Hollow Creek Bridge and nearby pavement rehabilitation.
*The project is scheduled to be complete this winter.
*A posted detour will be in place during the project. A separate truck detour will also be posted. The speed limited will be reduced to 45 mph in the work zone. The speed limit will be reduced to 45 mph on U.S. 20/26 when shoulder or median work is occurring. Flaggers will assist motorists through the work zone during different phases of the project.
*Most work will occur Monday through Friday, and some Saturdays.
Motorists are encouraged to check 511.idaho.gov for construction updates and detour information. For a full list of construction projects scheduled to begin across southwest Idaho, please visit our website at itd.idaho.gov/d3 and click on the construction tab. Some updates will also appear on Twitter and Facebook.
With nearly 45 projects scheduled across the region this year, please plan ahead, slow down, and give yourself enough time when traveling through each work zone.
Construction season is once more gearing up across Idaho which means plenty of orange on the roads – on both people and cones.
Of course the orange isn’t there to make you think of hunting season or add some color to your drive. It’s to make you aware of the dangers present in work zones. When ITD employees wear orange they want you to see them and to slow down!
This year, more than 100 members of ITD’s staff who aren’t typically out on the roads came together and wore orange to share this message of safety, and to show support for those who take risks repairing and maintaining our roads and bridges. You can see a video of the event below.
Don’t forget, fines for traffic violations increase in work zones. More importantly, you can help be an agent for change by slowing down and driving cautiously when you come to a construction project.
Help our people make it home safe this year!
BOISE -Young Idaho artists are invited to submit their creative artwork through May 15 in the Idaho Aviation Art Contest sponsored by the Idaho Transportation Department’s Division of Aeronautics. “Aviation Recreation” is the theme for the contest, for young artists ages 5 to 17.
Use your imagination — the sky is the limit! What types of recreation have you witnessed taking place in the sky. Drones, planes, helicopters, hot air balloons, perhaps? Beyond that, what can you envision?
Submitted art must not exceed legal size (11” x 14”). Two-dimensional watercolor, acrylic or oil, colored pencil, felt-tip markers, ballpoint pen, pen and ink, and crayon are permitted. Pencil, charcoal, computer art, clip art or collages using photo images and photocopies are prohibited.
Artwork will be judged in four categories – Beginner (ages 5-6), Junior (ages 7-9), Intermediate (10-13), and Senior (ages 14-17) – and will be based on originality, design and relativity to the theme.
First-place winners from each category will be invited on an airplane ride, in addition to participating in an award’s ceremony. They will also have the option to have their art signed by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, along with a framed congratulatory letter. Winning artists will be announced in the state aviation publication, Rudder Flutter, and each will receive a subscription. In addition, these accomplished artists will be invited to participate in our Ace Academy in mid-June, regardless of their age.
Second-place winners will receive $25 worth of art supplies, a congratulatory letter signed by the governor, and an announcement in the Rudder Flutter along with a subscription.
To obtain a copy of the 2017 brochure and the official entry form with the certificate of authenticity, please visit the Division of Aeronautics website at itd.idaho.gov/aero. The art contest coordinator may be reached at Idaho.aeronautics@itd.idaho.gov or (208) 334-8775.
Spring has sprung across the state, but the effects of one of the snowiest winters in recent memory are still being felt. Melting snow and spring rains have filled streams, creeks, and rivers across the state, increasing the likelihood of localized flooding.
“We urge drives to expect the unexpected,” said Mel Coulter, emergency program supervisor at ITD. “Local flooding is occurring statewide in areas where snow is rapidly melting and pooling on the highway.”
Water-covered roads can create hazardous conditions for drivers – it only takes about a foot of moving water on the road to cause a car to float away. Just a few inches of standing water can cause cars to hydroplane or stall. Water also can hide dangers just below the surface.
“Highways can be compromised or become unsafe because of a saturated road base. Water flowing across the highway has the potential for floating or sweeping vehicles from the road. Often those conditions are not readily visible,” said Coulter.
The first rule of driving through a flooded area is, don’t do it. The only sure way to avoid getting stranded is to find an alternate route.
If you can’t avoid a flooded area and have to drive through it, please take the following precautions:
If you become stranded, please consider the following:
Completing a new temporary route east of Plummer and west of St. Maries earlier than expected, the Idaho Transportation Department has given motorists a detour around a section of Idaho State Highway 5 recently decimated by moisture under the road and slides.
The new 500-foot-long route opened in time for the morning commute Wednesday, with temporary signals at each end of the route guiding traffic. A solid concrete guardrail will be placed on the edge to safeguard drivers.
Work on the temporary route began last Thursday. Crews placed a rock base, rolled it to compact the base, and placed a layer of top fill gravel and dirt on top.
To provide a smoother surface for drivers and protect the new temporary route around Idaho 5 between St. Maries and Plummer, Idaho Transportation Department crews will pave the new 500-foot-long temporary route Friday night (March 31) with about 2.5 inches of asphalt.
The paving will start at 8 p.m. Friday and finish by 3 a.m. Saturday. This timeframe as chosen because it will impact the fewest travelers, as the lowest traffic volumes are overnight.
The temporary route will be completely closed during this paving. Detour routes are Idaho 6 to the south, connecting with U.S. 95, or Idaho 3 to the north, connecting to Interstate 90.
The temporary route will remain in place as Idaho 5 is rebuilt over the next several months. The larger reconstruction will likely last through mid-summer, but will not begin until geologists make a determination on the stability of the road area.
