Early utility work in preparation for SH-75 construction between Elkhorn Road and River Street, set to begin early next year

Early utility work on State Highway 75 in Ketchum will begin Monday, Oct. 7. Intermountain Gas and the City of Ketchum will be relocating utilities along SH-75 ahead of the Idaho Transportation Department’s project to improve SH-75 between Elkhorn Road and River Street. Roadway construction for the project is anticipated to begin early next year.
SH-75 will be closed in both directions from Serenade Lane to River Street. Traffic will be detoured through Serenade Lane and 2nd Avenue, similar to what has been in place for the downtown Ketchum construction. The utility work is anticipated to take four weeks to complete.
ITD has worked with many utility partners throughout the design process to prepare for construction on SH-75. Other utility work later this year will include the burying of power lines by Idaho Power. In addition, tree removal work is expected to begin soon in preparation for the roadway work.
“ITD appreciates the collaboration between agencies on this project,” ITD Project Manager Brock Dillé said. “More information about construction plans for this project will be available at our open house at the end of this month.”
ITD will be sharing final design plans for the project along with anticipated construction information at a final project open house. Community members can participate in-person at the Limelight Hotel on Oct. 29 from 4-7 p.m. or join online Oct. 29 – Nov. 12. Click here for details.
For more information about the SH-75, Elkhorn Road to River Street project, please visit: itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/idaho75.

Road striping begins on SH-55

Vehicles involved in a mobile painting operation

The Idaho Transportation Department will begin striping State Highway 55 today. As crews work their way north, drivers are urged to be patient and avoid passing during active painting operations.

The striping, which will cover the stretch from Horseshoe Bend to New Meadows, is expected to take up to four days to complete. During this time, a convoy of vehicles consisting of pace cars, a paint truck, and a crash cushion trailer will work together to ensure the safety of both the crew and the public. This line of vehicles will be moving slowly as they paint the roadway markings to ensure they last.

All of Idaho’s highways are painted at least once each year, with some areas receiving a second coat. This year, ITD will stripe more than 3,000 lane miles across Southwest Idaho. Drivers should exercise caution when following striping trucks, as driving over wet paint can strip away the reflective beads, reducing the visibility of road markings at night.

Snake River Rest Area vandalized three times in last month

Broken door due to vandalism at Snake River Rest Area.

The Snake River Rest Area, located on eastbound Interstate 84, just two miles from Ontario, serves as a vital first stop for many travelers entering Idaho. Unfortunately, the rest area has been the target of repeated vandalism, with three separate incidents occurring in September alone.

The recent acts of vandalism include a shattered window, a broken glass door, and the destruction of a child changing area. This rest stop not only provides essential public restroom facilities but also welcomes visitors to Idaho with its visitor center.

“These facilities are here to serve travelers, but each act of vandalism makes it harder to maintain the level of service we strive to provide. If you see someone acting suspiciously or damaging property, please speak up,” Facilities Operations Manager John Hall said.

The Idaho Transportation Department urges anyone who witnesses vandalism to contact the Payette County Sheriff’s Office.

Broken window due to vandalism happening at the Snake River Rest Area.

ITD’s top innovations reflect commitment to safety & service

The FY24 Best of the Best ceremony held September 30 in Boise and livestreamed for the first time ever, showcased not only this year’s best innovations, but also paid tribute to the decade-long history of the innovation program at ITD, rolled out in the spring of 2014 to harness the great ideas of tremendous employees across the state. ITD innovation has resulted in $61M in savings and efficiencies to be re-applied to needed road and bridge projects statewide, and nearly 670,000 hours of savings over the last decade, benefiting road users and customers in the Gem State.

Innovation makes our work safer, improves processes, and saves time and money. More than 1,500 of the 3,200 ideas over the last decade have been implemented. This not only saves time and money for the department, but also translate into significant improvements for our customers.

“Innovate ITD! has created a space where every voice matters, every idea is valued, and everyone can make a difference,” said ITD Chief Innovation Officer Brenda Williams. “Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the Best of the Best. Every innovation represents hours of hard work, collaboration, and determination. I am so proud of all the ITD employees and their innovative spirit. Innovation….it is who we are.”

Along with the awards ceremony honoring this year’s winners, the ceremony gave a look back at some highlights along the way, like the Bud Bar in 2017, the evolution of the S.N.O.W. (Safely Navigating Our Winters) safe-driving program, and many others. Check out the compilation video.

A special Decade of Excellence award was also given in recognition of 675 ideas and innovations submitted by DMV, each of which saves time and money at county offices statewide. Check out the video tribute to DMV.

The winners were also announced for this year.

The first winner was in the Customer Service category, where the DMV is again going above and beyond for disabled military veterans by automatically renewing their vehicle registrations. This innovation reduces the number of phone calls from confused customers. Who were previously required to go into the physical DMV office. There are 3,500 disabled veteran plates in Idaho, so automatically renewing their registrations saves the customers a trip to the DMV and around 1,500 hours of estimated time each year.

Next is the Ideal Workplace category, where the winner was the ICONIC Youth Program, an extension of the ICONIC workforce training program geared for adults in the transportation and construction trades. Ty Winther and Jessika Doglietto spearheaded this program for youths and young adults, which gives free training on a front-end loader, skid loader and excavator to selected students, who also walk away with their OSHA 10-hour entry program and first aid certifications.

The next winner, in the Mobility & Economic Opportunity category, garnered the most votes of any innovation this year. This People’s Choice winner came from Tom Logan in south central Idaho. Temporary steel barriers are a fraction of the weight and take a fraction of the time to set up in construction areas. In fact, crews were able to set 5,000 feet of steel barriers in one night, something that would have taken up to two weeks with concrete. Since they are lightweight, they use two pins every 30 feet to prevent them from moving.

The next category is Resource Stewardship. The winner was an innovation out of north-central Idaho, addressing salt that bounced away off the road when distributed by one of our trucks in motion. Salt was scattering off of the spinner and bouncing off the rubber flaps of the sander chute, causing a significant portion to get lost in the ditch. Add in strong winds, and you’re looking at additional material not making it to the roadway surface. Adam Ott constructed a simple Salt Wrangler to address this problem, then did a comparison between trucks with and without it during application. The results were impressive.

The final winner, in the Safety category, was a stark reminder that every vote counts! The winner, by the razor-thin margin of 192 to 191, was an innovation from Chris Higginbotham in the North Idaho office. ITD needed to come up with a better way to assess and execute plans for hazard tree removal along state highway right of ways. Utilizing LIDAR tree data from the statewide inventory including height and proximity to the pavement, Higginbotham was able to import that dataset into IPLAN and cross reference it against parcel ownership data across the state. The result is a comprehensive mapping program for hazard trees.

Check out the FY24 Best of the Best recap.

Twin Falls commercial registration office closed

Long line of cars behind a truckLong line of cars behind a truck

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) has closed the Twin Falls commercial registration and permitting office due to staffing changes.

ITD is working to reestablish commercial registration and permitting at the Hollister Port of Entry. In the meantime, Magic Valley commercial vehicle customers can still conduct business in several ways.

E-mail – All e-mails must be sent to cvs@itd.idaho.gov. Please reference your Motor Carrier Account Number on the subject line of your message. Documents must be in PDF format and inserted into your message as an attachment.
Boise Headquarters (drop box only, no in-person services) – 11331 West Chinden, Building 8 (do not mail or express mail to this location).
Mail – Motor Carrier Services, PO Box 7129, Boise ID 83707 or Express mail – 3311 W State Street, Boise, Idaho 83703.
Appointment – To schedule an in-person or phone appointment, go to idaho.gov/poe.
- Huetter Port of Entry, 2 miles west of Coeur d’Alene on I-90. Phone 208-769-1551
- Lewiston Port of Entry, 1 mile east of Lewiston on US-12/US-95. Phone 208-799-4824
- Declo Port of Entry, MP 218.7 on I-84. Phone 208-878-6995
- Inkom Port of Entry, 8 miles south of Pocatello on I-15. Phone 208-775-3311
- Marsing Port of Entry, 6 miles south of State Highway 55/US 95. Phone 208-896-4814
- East Boise Port of Entry, 11 miles east of Boise on I-84. Phone 208-334-3272
- Sage Junction Port of Entry, 8 miles north of Roberts on I-15. Phone 208-228-3636
County DMV Office – County offices can register non-commercial vehicles; commercial-use power units through 26,000 pounds; farm-use power units through 60,000 pounds; annual renewal trailers; and permanent trailers.

All locations can process titles for private sale new purchases. Titles for dealer sales will be handled by the dealer.

ITD reigns for third time at national Snow & Ice Conference

The largest group of competitors ever (about 330) at the Snow & Ice Conference and National Snow Roadeo couldn’t slow down the ITD maintenance team, which won the national “Top Agency” title for the third time in the last four years on September 25! This year, ITD took six competitors to the event – (Pictured below, L to R: TJ Gibson, Sheldon Jones, Jed Gregersen, Dakota Morgan, Jed Henderson and Brandon Steffens).

This year, ITD also had the first individual champion (Gibson in Loader) since Jarrett Porter did it in the same event back in 2001. In fact, ITD swept the top three places in the Loader event, with Morgan taking the runner-up slot and Gregerson finishing 3rd.

The duo of Steffens and Gregerson also won this year’s Single Axle Snowplow team event, while Steffens was 2nd in Skid Steer. The team of Gibson and Henderson came in 2nd in Snowplow Tandem Axle.

Henderson and Steffens have been members of all three national title-winning teams.

“In Idaho, our first priority is work zone safety, and by being the best in maintenance equipment safety operations we minimize time in work zones for employees and the traveling public,” emphasized ITD Chief Deputy Director Dan McElhinney. “ITD is very proud of our 6-member team for winning the 2024 National Maintenance Safety Equipment Rodeo last week in Colorado, proving our commitment to be the best of the best in the nation, which we have been now 3 of the last 4 years!”

Several team members also had very positive things to say about the experience:

ITD would also like to thank Kelley Dick and Alan Huey for their leadership with the district, state and national roadeo events!

In addition to another team title, the ITD squad delivered top finishes in various events as mentioned earlier. The ITD contingent has performed well over the years in Colorado, with 50 Top 10 finishes on various pieces of equipment

ITD starting popular ‘Name a Snowplow’ contest

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and Idaho Department of Education are working together to kick off the first ever annual ‘Name a Snowplow’ contest. Other states and highway departments across the country conduct similar campaigns with great success.

Starting October 1, eighth grade students across Idaho are invited to participate with their classrooms to submit a name. Contest entries will be accepted through the month of October with winning names announced by 2025.

“Our snowplow drivers are very thankful to schools that are able to join this fun educational opportunity and help increase winter driving safety awareness!” ITD Chief Operations Officer and Deputy Director Dan McElhinney said.

Two plows in each of six Idaho regions will be selected through voting by ITD employees. Winning names will be displayed directly on ITD plows, with winners awarded a visit to their school by that plow and driver to talk about winter safety. News media will also be invited to attend plow naming events.

This contest is a partnership between ITD and the Idaho Department of Education for teachers in eighth grade classrooms to opt in, with the hopes of sharing winter driving safety messages as this age group will soon be in driver’s education classes. Another goal of adding unique names on plows is to cause all drivers to take a second look and be patient when driving through the winter.

“This contest is such a fun way to engage students with a safety message that’s essential to our young drivers, especially as the weather cools and winter approaches,” Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield said. “I’m grateful for the partnership with the Idaho Transportation Department and am definitely looking forward to seeing some student-named plows on the road this winter.”

More information regarding the contest winners and plow naming events will be released once the submission and voting deadlines have passed.

Contest rules can be found on ITD’s website.

Name a Snowplow

Two ITD snowplows. One has been digitally altered to say "Winning Name Here" on the front of the plow.

For the first time ever, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is naming snowplows! Name A Snowplow is a fun way to spread awareness about snowplow safety, foster a sense of ownership among the community, and teach future drivers how to be safe when driving near snowplows. We are partnering with the Idaho Department of Education to collect name ideas from Idaho 8th graders. This age group was selected because they are about to attend driver’s education.

We are asking 8th grade classrooms to come up with names and submit them by October 31, 2024. Instructions for how to submit names will be distributed to teachers through the Idaho Department of Education. ITD will also distribute educational materials about snowplow safety.

Contest Rules:

Eligibility

Open to 8th grade classrooms.
Classrooms must be located in Idaho.

Submission Guidelines

One name per classroom.
Names must be appropriate | MAX 15 characters (including spaces).
Submit name via Microsoft Form (Please only submit if you are teacher or homeschool parent).

*If the same name is submitted by multiple classrooms, only the first entry received will be considered.

Selection Process

Names must be submitted by October 31.
ITD employees will vote on submissions in November.
12 winning names will be selected—two from each of Idaho’s six regions—and winners announced by early January. Names will be featured on the plows’ blades.
Winning classrooms will receive recognition and a special visit from the snowplow bearing its chosen name. Media will be invited to cover the event.

Additional Information

Classrooms are free to conduct their own internal voting to select their submission.
Submissions that do not meet the criteria will be disqualified.
By submitting a snowplow name, you grant ITD all rights to use, display and publish the name for promotional purposes.

Timeline

Classrooms submit names October 1 to 31, 2024.
ITD Employees vote on names in November 2024.
Winners announced December 2024.
Plow visits with winning classrooms/schools December 2024 through January 2025.

Interested in participating?

If you have a child in eighth grade, ask if his or her classroom is submitting a name.
Help spread the word on social media.
Talk to your kids, friends, or family about snowplow safety. Visit the Idaho Ready page for winter safety information.
Want to get a homeschool or private school classroom involved? Send us an email at itdcommunication@itd.idaho.gov.

US-20 South Rexburg Exit to close starting Monday

Road closed signs at Exit 332 on US-20 in Rexburg.

REXBURG—U.S. Highway 20 Exit 332 for University Boulevard in Rexburg will fully close starting Monday, September 30, for crews to complete final paving and striping operations. Work is not expected to take more than a few days, and the exit will be re-opened as soon as it is completed.

This closure was purposefully scheduled during Madison School District’s harvest break to least affect traffic. Detours include Exit 328 (Thornton), Exit 333 (Main Street) and Exit 337 (North Rexburg). After re-opening next week, construction work at Exit 332 will be minimal and off the roadway.

Construction does continue at Exit 333, with one lane running in each direction. These projects to create safe and efficient diverging diamond interchanges at both Rexburg exits are still expected to be complete later this fall.

For more information about this project, visit https://itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/us20rexburg. Drivers can also use the 511 app to see current status on this and other Idaho projects.

Interchange construction on SH-53 set to begin in October aimed at reducing railroad crossings on the prairie

Aerial view of vehicles waiting for a train where Pleasant View Road intersects with SH-53.

The Idaho Transportation Department is beginning construction of an interchange at State Highway 53 and Pleasant View Road in early October. The project will enhance safety in this highly traveled corridor by ultimately eliminating three railroad/vehicle crossings, streamlining access to SH-53, and increasing capacity on key routes. Work will include these primary improvements:

• Constructing a diamond interchange at SH-53 and Pleasant View Road.
• Removing access to SH-53 from four roads: Hauser Lake Road, Hollister Hills Road, Prairie Avenue, and McGuire Road.
• Expanding Pleasant View Road to two lanes in each direction through the interchange.
• Widening SH-53 to two lanes in each direction with a new center median through the project limits.

Crews will start construction with tasks that likely won’t affect existing traffic flow for the remainder of the year. Impacts to drivers are anticipated to start in spring 2025.

This project was first identified in 2006 as part of the Bridging the Valley Study. The BTV’s goal was to improve safety by separating vehicle and train traffic in the 42-mile corridor between Spokane, Washington, and Athol, Idaho. The final design was completed in 2015 with input from interested parties and the community.

In mid-2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration awarded ITD a grant which made construction of this project possible now, rather than years in the future. The grant program was created to improve safety at rail crossings in communities across the country to save lives, time, and resources for American families.

“Communities along SH-53 are regularly impacted by noise and blocked traffic as trains move through this area,” said Project Manager James Dorman. “This project will minimize conflict points and streamline traffic by bringing them safely through the Pleasant View Road interchange.”

Additional financial contributions were made by ITD’s partnering organizations: BNSF Railway and the Post Falls Highway District. The estimated construction cost of this project is $30 million.

People are encouraged to stay informed by visiting the project website and subscribing to emails at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/sh53corridor. For statewide traffic information, visit 511.idaho.gov or download the app.