Idahoans value work zone safety

The Idaho Transportation Department is joining states across the country for National Work Zone Awareness Week. The national and state campaigns this week are designed to raise awareness and educate the public about the safety measures we can all take in work zones, and how we are all responsible for work zone safety.

From 2017 to 2021, Idaho saw 3,119 crashes in work zones resulting in 36 deaths, stressing the need for this year’s theme: “You play a role in work zone safety. Work with us.”

This special week includes a schedule of activities; everyone is encouraged to go orange for safety on Wednesday and observe a moment of silence on Friday for those who have died in work zones.

“Work zone safety is drivers and highway workers cooperating together to slow down and improve safety,” said Dan McElhinney, Chief Deputy and Chief Operations Officer for ITD. “ITD employees and contractors design traffic control with signs, cones, beacons or reduced speed limits to help guide vehicles through these hazard zones, knowing we really appreciate drivers being engaged without distractions for success. Let’s all get home safely every day.”

Work zone crashes are preventable. The top three causes of crashes from 2017 to 2021 were following too closely, distracted or inattentive driving and failing to yield.

Drivers should:

Plan ahead – Check 511.idaho.gov before you go to plan your route. Expect delays, leave early or take an alternate route if possible.
Slow down– drive the posted speed limits.
Pay attention– both to workers directing you and surrounding traffic.

Other safety tips and videos are available at itd.idaho.gov/travel.

Nighttime Work Begins at System Interchange

POCATELLO – As temperatures warm motorists will see nighttime work starting up again at the System Interchange project in Pocatello. In addition, there will be short-term detours while girders are placed for the new northbound bridge. As of this morning the east to northbound ramp is closed. Traffic is being diverted south to detour through the Pocatello Creek interchange.

Heavy equipment will be moving earth during the night as contractors rebuild the interchange. The excavated earth will be moved on the large conveyor system the Idaho Transportation Department has been using to limit the need for heavy trucks entering and exiting the Interstate within the work zone.

The massive project requires nearly round-the-clock work during summer months to achieve the goals set by ITD for project completion. During the nighttime work nearby businesses and residents may notice more noise from the heavy equipment moving about the worksite.

Detours necessitated by the placement of girders will be updated on 511.idaho.gov or in the 511 app. While this work continues, weather is major factor for the timing of closures. Motorists are encouraged to keep up-to-date via 511.

Motorists should exercise additional care at night to keep everyone safe. ITD asks motorists to keep their eyes on the road, slow down, obey signs, and be patient with other drivers.

The System Interchange project is part of Governor Little’s “Leading Idaho” initiative that pays for shovel-ready projects to move forward without delay.

Construction resumes next week on I-90 near Fourth of July Pass

Paving machine during construction in 2022

Construction will resume Monday on I-90 to resurface four miles east of Fourth of July Pass.

Crews will start preparing for all traffic to run on the eastbound set of lanes by adjusting striping and placing signage. During the first week of construction, drivers can expect one lane to be closed in the eastbound direction while crews are working.

More significant impacts will start the last week of April when all traffic will be shifted onto the eastbound set of lanes so that work can begin on the westbound set of lanes. Only one lane in each direction will be open. Repairs are expected to start first on westbound I-90 and then transition to installing new concrete barrier in the median to prevent head on-crashes.

Eastbound I-90 was the focus of work in 2022. The project is expected to be complete in October.

Travelers are encouraged to be aware of other work zones on I-90, like bridge replacements in Kellogg, and are advised to check 511.idaho.gov before driving.

Construction starts Monday to upgrade intersection at SH-53 and Ramsey Road

overhead view of the intersection of SH-53 and Ramsey. Orange cones can be observed along one edge of new pavement. The traffic lights are strung at a 45-degree angle across the intersection

Construction is expected to start Monday, April 17, to upgrade the intersection at State Highway 53 and Ramsey Road east of Rathdrum.

Crews will add right and left turn lanes on both roadways and will replace the existing temporary signal with a permanent one. Work is scheduled to take place through September with the highway reduced to one lane in each direction.

“Impacts will be fairly similar to what they are now,” Project Manager Megan Koski said. “Drivers will just need to plan extra time to get through the work zone.”

The existing temporary signal was installed in 2019 to help with congestion while traffic was detoured during the construction of the new interchange at SH-53 and US-95.

Traffic impacts at this work zone and another on SH-53 near Hauser are available at 511.idaho.gov.

Idaho’s new driver’s license and ID card are here

BOISE— Idaho has a new driver’s license design. The Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) launched the new cards today. All new cards, renewals, and replacements will have the new design.

“The new license showcases some of Idaho’s best features,” said DMV administrator Lisa McClellan. “Idaho’s state bird, the mountain bluebird, is featured prominently. Idahoans will also notice the Sawtooth Mountains and the Idaho Statehouse.”

The Idaho DMV is releasing a new card to keep up with evolving technology and prevent counterfeiters. It is standard practice to update license designs and security features periodically. The last time Idaho changed its license was in 2016.

Licenses with the old design will remain valid until the expiration date that is printed on the card. You don’t need to do anything until it is time to renew your license. Then you can renew online, if eligible, at dmv.idaho.gov or at a local DMV. The fee you pay for a license will not change when the new design goes live.

The new design will appear not just on driver’s licenses but on other state-issued cards as well, including identification cards, instruction permits, and concealed weapons cards. For more information, check out the “Frequently Asked Questions” on our website.

DMV.idaho.gov is a one-stop-shop for everything DMV. There are over a dozen transactions that can be completed online, everything from a change of address to registration and driver’s license renewals. Skip the Trip, save time, and go online to DMV.idaho.gov.

SH-36 closed due to mud slides

POCATELLO – At approximately 6:30 pm on Tuesday a mud slide necessitated the closure of SH-36 between Ovid and Preston. Continued warming temperatures resulted in two more slides in the area. As of 2:30 pm Wednesday the highway remains closed north of Mink Creek.

ITD crews are working to clear ditch and culverts to help the spring runoff waters move away from the highway. However, the safety of the travelling public is the primary concern and the road will remain closed until engineers are confident the roadway is safe.

To travel between Preston and Montpelier motorists can detour via SH-34 and US-30.

As Idaho enters the late spring, this winter’s heavy precipitation in the Franklin, Caribou, and Bear Lake Counties presents a significant chance of flooding. Motorists need to be aware of local conditions and not drive through water running over the roadways.

To get the latest updates on road conditions and closures, please check 511.idaho.gov or download the 511 app.

ITD railroad bridge replacement to begin in Chubbuck

POCATELLO – On Monday April 17 the Idaho Transportation Department will begin night work to remove the westbound railroad bridge on I-86, just east of Chubbuck Exit 61. The bridge will be replaced with a wider bridge that will have three lanes. To avoid delaying railroad traffic during the day portions of the demolition will be done at night when fewer trains pass under the bridge. ITD expects the replacement of the railroad bridge to continue into early May.

The bridge replacement will necessitate changes in traffic patterns and increased noise. It is important that drivers slow down in the work zone and provide room for vehicles merging or preparing to take Exit 61 into Chubbuck.

There is no need to demolish the eastbound bridge which has already been widened to three lanes

Idaho DMV removes convenience fees for online driver’s license renewals

BOISE—Idaho driver’s licenses and ID cards are now available at a reduced cost online. The Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) removed convenience fees for online driver’s license transactions and passed the savings on to customers.

“Nobody likes extra fees. At the DMV, we want to elevate our customer’s experience and make online transactions as quick and painless as possible,” said DMV administrator Lisa McClellan. “We are constantly looking for ways to reduce costs and save customers money.” Last October, the DMV removed convenience and county administrative fees for online vehicle registration renewals.

To see if you are eligible to renew your license online, visit DMV.idaho.gov. The DMV offers over a dozen online services, from a change of address to renewing a license or registration. So far in 2023, DMV customers have completed more than 263,000 transactions online. Online services are safe, secure, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. Skip the Trip, save time, and go online to DMV.idaho.gov.

Construction to widen SH-53 resumes Monday

Several projects this summer will widen and repave State Highway 53 from Hauser Lake Road to Rathdrum, with the first work zone of the season expected to start slowing down traffic on Monday, April 10.

“Many drivers take SH-53/Trent Avenue to commute back and forth between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene as an alternative to I-90, so we want drivers to plan extra time to get where they need to go,” Project Manager Steve Nettleton said.

Two lanes will remain open during construction, but once construction begins next week speed limits will be reduced and the lanes will be very narrow.

Drivers should be familiar with this work zone, as widening first began last year to add a center turn lane on the two-mile stretch starting near McGuire Road and continuing through Bruss Road.

Last year crews added temporary pavement to the south side of the highway to keep two lanes open during construction this year while they build the base of the new lane to the north. Crews will also reconstruct the existing two lanes of SH-53.

By the time construction ends in September, drivers can expect new right turn lanes and lighting at the intersections of McGuire Road, North Church Road, Bruss Road and Hauser Lake Road. An acceleration lane at Cloverleaf Road will help drivers get up to speed and merge with eastbound traffic.

Since this project overlaps with future plans to build an interchange at Pleasant View Road in 2028, minimal improvements will be constructed near the intersections of Pleasant View Road and Hauser Lake Road at this time.

“The goal of this project and future ones is to make the highway safer by providing turn lanes for drivers,” Nettleton said. “Drivers won’t have to be worried about being rear-ended as they wait to turn left off the highway.”

By late summer drivers will pass through another two work zones between Hauser Lake Road and Rathdrum. Other widening projects scheduled near the city in 2023 and 2024 and the state line in 2027.

For a list of projects this summer, visit itdprojects.org/sh53corridor.

Download a map of construction in 2023.

“Over the next few years, anyone who takes SH-53 will get used to seeing orange barrels,” Nettleton said.

The department also plans to fund a project at the next opportunity to build similar improvements to the four miles between Bruss Road and Latah Street. If funded, all of SH-53 would eventually be three lanes from the state line to Rathdrum.

Drivers are encouraged to check live traffic conditions at 511.idaho.gov or download the new 511 app released in January.

Repaving of Eagle Road resumes this month; nightly detours begin Monday, April 17

The Idaho Transportation Department will resume repaving work on Eagle Road this month between Interstate 84 and State Highway 44. Portions of Eagle Road will be detoured at night starting Monday, April 17. All work is weather dependent.
This year, crews will repair the road surface on Eagle Road and several intersections between I-84 and SH-44, including McMillan Road, Ustick Road, and Fairview Avenue. This is the second season of a two-year project.

During the week of April 10, crews will begin preparation work and one lane will be closed on Eagle Road at night. Starting April 17, all lanes of Eagle Road will be detoured each night where crews are working.

Between Franklin Rd. and Chinden Blvd.:

Traffic will be detoured to Locust Grove Road or Cloverdale Road

Between Chinden Blvd. and SH-44:

Traffic will be shifted to one side of Eagle Road

At the McMillan, Ustick, and Fairview Intersections:

Traffic will be detoured to Locust Grove Road or Cloverdale Road

Overnight closures and detours will begin at 10 p.m. and end at 6 a.m. on weekdays. Weekend opening times will vary between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. depending on traffic volumes. All lanes will be open during the day. For the latest closure information, text EagleRoad to 1-866-483-8422 or visit itdprojects.org/eagleroadrepairs.

“We have a lot of ground to cover this construction season, so we ask that drivers slow down and be cautious where crews are working,” said Jeff Ryan, ITD Design/Construction Engineer. “Nighttime closures will help keep crews safe and keep all lanes open during the daytime commute.”

Temporary steel plates will be placed on Eagle Road to cover manholes until the project is complete. Please drive with caution.

Last season, crews repaved the roadway near I-84 and Island Woods Drive. All construction is expected to be completed in fall 2023.

Idaho Materials & Construction is the contractor for this $18 million project.