The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will close the westbound on-ramp (heading toward Boise) at the I-84 South Jerome Interchange (Exit 168) on Tuesday, May 28. The ramp will remain closed for a few months while crews build the new westbound on-ramp.
Traffic will be detoured to the Main Street/Highway 25 Interchange (Exit 165). Motorists will be directed north on S Lincoln Avenue, west on W Avenue D, north on S Birch Street and west on W Main Street/Highway 25. See a detour map.
Motorists can continue to expect intermittent local road closures, I-84 lane closures, traffic shifts and ramp changes throughout the duration of the project. Construction is anticipated to be completed in 2026.
Details about the I-84 South Jerome Interchange project are available at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/sjeromeic or by texting 84JTF to 1-866-483-8422.
Drivers should check 511.idaho.gov before traveling to plan for impacts from this project and other work zones.
Exit 332 on U.S. Highway 20 in Rexburg will completely close for one month beginning next Wednesday, May 29 to allow crews to quickly build a new unique diverging diamond interchange (DDI) that will greatly improve the flow of traffic.
All ramps at this exit and University Boulevard between the ramps will be closed to traffic and detoured to nearby interchanges. Through traffic on US-20 will be unaffected during construction.
Detours include Exit 328 at Thorton and Main Street Exit 333 in Rexburg. A temporary signal has been set up at Exit 333 to accommodate additional traffic. Access to businesses near Exit 332 will remain open with signage in place to direct drivers.
“Closing the exit allows crews to work at a significantly faster rate. Our goal is to have this interchange reopened before the Fourth of July,” Resident Engineer and Project Manager Conner Huffaker said.
Motorists should use caution and be aware of congestion. Crews will coordinate with emergency responders to ensure access through the closed construction zone when needed.
Once Exit 332 is reopened, work to construct the same DDI design at Exit 333 will begin. The closure of Exit 333 is expected to begin late July or early August.
More details about these projects can be found at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/us20rexburg. Also stay up to date on Idaho road conditions by visiting 511.idaho.gov, calling 5-1-1 or downloading the app.
Collisions between vehicles and cattle along State Highway 51 is spurring an Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) employee to take action by repurposing unused signs into open range warnings.
Wilmer Biggs, a transportation technician with the Bruneau ITD maintenance crew, has seen firsthand the damage that can happen when vehicles collide with open range cattle. Biggs decided to transform advisory signs from a defunct federal radio alert system into flashing open range signs. To date, Biggs has converted nine signs along SH-51, spanning from the Nevada border to north of Bruneau. Biggs hopes to convert more in the future.
“These flashing signs are designed to grab the attention of travelers. It’s a win-win situation. Not only will it enhance safety for Idaho’s drivers, but it will reduce losses for our local farmers,” Biggs said.
Open range cattle can be found on SH-51 and other Idaho highways year round. Idaho is an open range state, meaning cattle and other livestock have the right of way. If livestock is hit on an open range, the owner of the animal is not liable for damages to the driver or the vehicle. Drivers may be liable for injuries or death of the animal if found to have been negligent.
Eighty-seven percent of Idahoans wear their seat belt, according to the Idaho Office of Highway Safety’s (OHS) 2023 observational seatbelt survey. OHS and law enforcement partners across the state are encouraging all Idahoans to buckle up. From May 20 to June 2 expect to see more officers on the roads to educate drivers about the importance of wearing a seat belt.
Seat belts increase a person’s chances of surviving a crash by nearly 50 percent. Last year, 104* of the people killed in motor vehicle crashes were not wearing their seat belts – 52 of them could have survived had they all worn their seat belts.
While more crashes happen in urban areas, the fatality rate is higher on rural roads. Seat belt use is also lower in rural areas. To coincide with the statewide seat belt enforcement, OHS is launching a new campaign focused on rural road safety. The campaign includes radio ads featuring rural emergency medical service providers (EMS) from around the state. The launch also coincides with National EMS Week, which is marking it’s 50th anniversary this year.
In the ads, first responders explain what it’s like to respond to crashes in their close-knit communities. “In our rural area we usually know a lot of people, and it makes it really hard to have to pull a friend out of a vehicle,” said Christy, an EMT from Washington County in the ads. “We want to make sure everyone can keep making wonderful memories and arrive at their destination safely.”
EMS and post-crash care are a crucial part of safety on our roads. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that in 2021 nearly 9,000 people were ejected or partially ejected from vehicles during crashes. Seat belts play a huge role in preventing ejections and improving outcomes for people injured in crashes.
“EMTs are a crucial part of our communities. Let’s help them help us by wearing a seat belt,” urged Highway Safety Manager Josephine Middleton.
The goal of this campaign is to remind Idahoans that we need to be proactive about our own safety by simply buckling up.
*Preliminary data
The Idaho Transportation Department is continuing work on the Interstate roadway and bridges from the south Inkom interchange to the Portneuf interchange. Ongoing work includes guardrail repair, paving, and patching and repairing bridge decks. In addition, crews are patching pier caps, applying epoxy overlays, and waterproofing parapets on the Rapid Creek, South Inkom interchange, and Portneuf River bridges.
Work is anticipated to continue through the end of June with single lane crossovers. Drivers are reminded to slow down in work zones, allow other vehicles to merge, and drive defensively.
Replacement of the West Inkom interchange, Union Pacific Railroad, and Main Street bridges are still planned for next year.
The Idaho Transportation Board approved a resolution today to begin next steps to enhance Magic Valley regional mobility including consideration of a third Snake River crossing near Twin Falls.
ITD was approved to utilize up to $9 million to initiate recommendations presented based on a feasibility study developed with stakeholder interviews, traffic evaluations, design reviews, and close coordination with the Third River Joint Powers Board, the city of Twin Falls, and the Magic Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization.
ITD Chief Deputy Director Dan McElhinney stated, “It takes strong regional partnerships that are united and persistent to bring a major bridge project to reality. All are here today in teamwork with ITD. There are significant, complicated environmental and design work ahead that will likely require creative funding solutions partnering over the next few years.”
The Snake River Crossing project will follow the National Environmental Policy Act procedures over the next two years with ITD engaging many stakeholders, initiating field studies and preliminary design on alternatives to consider. Once a NEPA document is complete a preferred alternative can be selected, as efforts continue to identify funding for construction.
In addition to the potential for a new bridge over the Snake River, the process will include consideration of other improvements to ease congestion and enhance connectivity, such as:
- Widen existing bridges on US-30 and SH-46.
- Extend SH-79 or SH-25 south of Jerome across the canyon to US-93.
Other projects will also move forward, including:
- Widening or replacement of the SH-50 Hansen Bridge and widening five miles of SH-50.
- Traffic mobility improvements to the intersection of US-93 (Pole Line Road) and Blue Lakes Boulevard.
ITD District 4 Engineer Jesse Barrus said, “All of these near and long term improvement considerations will help provide this growing region with important mobility alternatives as our existing transportation system continues to experience more traffic demand.”
A tire blowout on a semitruck traveling at highway speeds can be dangerous, even deadly. As part of the Idaho Transportation Department’s (ITD) ongoing commitment to safety, the agency will begin installing Tire Anomaly and Classification (TAC) Systems at Ports of Entry (POE) around the state.
Ports of Entry inspect commercial vehicles and oversee their safe operation on Idaho roads. TAC systems are installed in the road and screen semitruck tires for anomalies and damage. Port employees can use the TAC data to notify truck drivers of damaged or underinflated tires before they cause a safety problem.
Idaho’s first TAC system was installed at the Declo POE in February 2023. Over 1,100 tire anomalies have been detected since the system went live.
“Installing TAC systems is a proactive approach to safety,” explained ITD Commercial Vehicle Services Manager Craig Roberts. “The driving public is much safer when commercial vehicles with tire issues are stopped to correct blowouts, flats, or missing tires.”
The TAC installation schedule is as follows:
- East Boise POE in both directions, week of May 28.
- Lewiston POE in both directions, week of July 15.
- Sage POE in both directions, tentatively late July or early August depending on other road construction in the area.
- Huetter POE in both directions, tentatively August depending on other road construction in the area.
- Inkom POE will have a phased installation. Southbound is to be completed in June. Northbound is to be completed next year during work on the Inkom interchange.
The cost for all the new TAC systems combined is $1.2 million. In 2022, the economic cost of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles in Idaho was more than $627 million.
Pictured above: Tires caught by the TAC system.
Work begins today on SH-54 east of Athol on a minor paving improvement project ahead of sealcoat work later this summer.
The Idaho Transportation Department is adding a thin layer of pavement to the right, outside lanes of travel to help smooth the driving surface and improve the ride.
Crews started near Athol and are working in the eastbound, outside lane with this mobile operation. Once they reach Farragut State Park they will then turn around and work back towards Athol on the outside, westbound lane.
During construction one lane in both directions will remain open for travel, with a mandatory speed reduction to 45 mph and intermittent flagging.
This project is expected to be complete by next Wednesday, with contractors scheduled to return mid-July to protect and seal the entire width of the roadway.
The Idaho Press Club held their “Best of 2023” Awards show on Saturday evening, May 4. The yearly event highlights the best throughout Idaho in both media and public relations, and ITD’s Office of Communication took home some top prizes.
“We love telling the stories within ITD,” said southwest Idaho communication rep Sophia Miraglio, who took home two of the awards. “Our reputation with the media reflects ITD’s commitment to transparency, intentionality, and public service.”
On Saturday night, that commitment and public-service focus paid off, with ITD winning nine awards.
Best Online-Only Video Program – Public Affairs
- Angie Heuring, Axel Quartarone, Josie Bisgard – “No Guts, No Glory: ITD Behind the Plow”
Opinion Writing – PR
- Reed Hollinshead – Grip Strength
- Reed Hollinshead – Silent Ruin
News Releases – PR
- Sophia Miraglio – Best 3 of 2023
Feature Writing – PR
- Reed Hollinshead – Aunt Di: 55 years of service and going strong!
- Sophia Miraglio – ITD Veteran Shawn Denham continues to serve
Annual Report – PR
- Angie Heuring, Jared Tuttle, MacKenzie Stone – ITD Annual Report
- Ellen Mattila, Jared Tuttle, Lisa McClellan – DMV Annual Report
Public Service Campaign – PR
- Ellen Mattila, Duft Watterson – Idaho Ready
Motorists should expect minor traffic changes on U.S. Highway 95 and U.S. Highway 12 at Aht’Wy Plaza near the Clearwater River Casino and Lodge as early as next week as crews prepare to pave the highway and ramps. The ongoing construction will shift in anticipation of paving operations:
- May 13 – May 15: Concrete barrier will be removed in the center and moved to the outside of the traveling lanes. Traffic will be pushed to the outside lanes with one lane in each direction.
- May 18: Paving will commence and take an estimated five days to complete. Traffic will shift from the inside lanes to outside lanes and vise versa. Please note the temporary entrance on the west side of the RV park will close. During this time, motorists trying to head north or south will leave the plaza at the east entrance.
- May 23: Crews will restripe two lanes in both directions. Only one lane will be striped at a time during this switch. Traffic will switch periodically from the fast lane to the slow lane in both directions during the painting.
- May 24: Traffic will be restored back to one lane in each direction. The temporary entrance on the west side will re-open in anticipation of Memorial Day Weekend.
The interchange is scheduled for completion in mid-November and will provide safer access to Aht’Wy Plaza by providing uninterrupted movement off and over the highway.
Live traffic impacts like these can be found by visiting 511.idaho.gov. Travelers can also dial 5-1-1 or download the app
