System Interchange project enters final year of construction

Photograph showing I-15 southbound lane during construction.

The Idaho Transportation Department’s $112 million rebuild of the System Interchange for Interstate 86 and Interstate 15 at Pocatello is entering its final year of construction with crews working in multiple areas throughout the worksite.

Five bridges were built in the last year, bringing the project total up to eight new structures. Two of the new bridges are steel and measure 414 feet long each. The other three bridges are concrete and measure a total of 387 feet in length. The construction of these bridges included 725 feet of 8-foot diameter concrete shafts installed underground for bridge foundations. In addition, 10,000 feet of steel piles were also driven underground for bridge foundations.

The massive project registered other impressive statistics in 2024:

247,319 cubic yards of dirt moved.
143,500 tons of structural dirt imported.
4,000 cubic yards of concrete poured.
55,894 tons of asphalt placed.
568,862 pounds of metal reinforcement installed.

In the coming year several items will be completed to button up the project.

The new southbound-to-westbound ramp will be completed.
The old northbound-to-westbound ramp will be removed.
The temporary southbound-to-westbound ramp will be removed.
The roadway north of the Pocatello Creek on-ramp will be built to its final grade. This will allow movement from Pocatello Creek to Chubbuck and remove the detour currently in place.
The new Chubbuck Road underpass roadway will be completed.
A chip seal will be applied to extend the life of the new asphalt pavement installed by the project, and the road will be restriped to its final lane configuration.
Bridge approaches will be smoothed out to remove bumps made during construction.

Construction is anticipated to be completed in August.

“We appreciate the community’s patience as ITD continues to work with the contractor to button up work items and complete the remaining tasks for this historic project,” Project Manager Greg Roberts said. “ITD is excited to see the travelling public use this updated system interchange for years to come.”

Originally built in the 1960s, the I-86 and I-15 System Interchange is undergoing a rebuild to improve safety and replace aging infrastructure.

Motorists should carefully follow signs and posted speed limits while traveling through the construction area. With crews working day and night at the System Interchange it is especially important that drivers be alert and travel safely.

Motorists are encouraged to use 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of project detours. Project details are available on ITD’s projects website at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/i-86i-15-system-interchange.

ITD secures grant to build wildlife underpasses

Photograph of a mule deer looking to cross the highway while a semi truck passes by

The Idaho Transportation Department recently secured $20.8 million in grant funding to build three wildlife underpasses near Montpelier. These improvements will increase drivers’ safety on U.S. Highway 30 at Rocky Point between Montpelier and the Wyoming border, with construction anticipated in 2026.

The project aims to mitigate wildlife-vehicle conflict points with wildlife underpasses built where the highway crosses a regional mule deer migration route. This 20-mile section of US-30 can incur more than 100 mule deer collisions with vehicles each year, with about 70% of those carcasses being reported in the four-mile section (milepost 443-447) known as Rocky Point. Besides making the highway safer for drivers, the new structures will protect the migration corridor and ensure connectivity between crucial seasonal mule deer habitat.

The three wildlife underpasses will be coupled with about 6 road miles of 8-foot-tall wildlife fencing to “funnel” migrating wildlife toward the underpasses. The funding is part of $125 million in federal grants also announced in December for wildlife crossing projects in 16 states.

“We are excited to get this project fully-funded and built,” Environmental Planner Alissa Salmore said. “Local citizens and our Montpelier crew have been asking for a solution here for decades. It will be good to finally deliver this project, both for people and for wildlife.”

Salmore, with key contributions from the ITD team and Idaho Fish and Game as a partner agency, developed the application package for submittal to the FHWA Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program over the past year. The grant covers about 98% of the construction costs for the trio of underpasses. An additional $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will fund a portion of the fencing to connect two of the structures in the heart of the mule deer travel route.

There are significant benefits to the project beyond ITD’s interest. Idaho Fish and Game also has a strong interest in resolving the conflict between the highway traffic and the regional Bear Lake Plateau mule deer herd’s migration path. The Bear Lake Plateau mule deer herd is a key piece of southeastern Idaho’s economy, bringing thousands of hunters and wildlife enthusiasts to stay and recreate in the area every year. The mule deer migration encompasses parts of Wyoming and Utah as well as Idaho, so those states will also see a benefit from reducing the wildlife-vehicle collision rate at Rocky Point.

Each year, more than one million wildlife-vehicle collisions are estimated to impact motorists and wildlife in the U.S. Wildlife-vehicle collisions involving large animals result in approximately 200 human fatalities and 26,000 injuries to drivers and their passengers each year. These collisions also cost the public more than $10 billion annually. This includes economic costs, such as loss of income, medical costs, property damage, and more. Highways can threaten wildlife populations by fragmenting habitats, creating barriers to safe movement, and causing mortality due to wildlife-vehicle collisions.

Chubbuck Road re-opens to Highland area

Photograph of the new Chubbuck Road underpass.

The long-awaited reopening of Chubbuck Road has come and traffic is once again flowing from Chubbuck to the Highland area. The Idaho Transportation Department opened the road Friday afternoon to through traffic. However, the new underpass will still require a brief closure next summer to open the road up for pedestrian access.

The Chubbuck Road overpass, built in 1962 was an impediment to large loads travelling north and south on Interstate 15. As part of the System Interchange project the decision was made to transform Chubbuck Road into an underpass with additional facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists. That change necessitated a two-year closure for demolition and the construction of two new bridges to carry I-15 over Chubbuck Road.

Now that the new underpass is open to vehicle traffic, residents in Chubbuck wishing to travel to the Portneuf Wellness Complex or Highland High School will no longer be detoured through the Northgate Interchange.

“We really appreciate the public’s patience during this process,” said Project Manager Zak Johnson. “We’re really excited to have Chubbuck Road open to vehicle traffic again.”

While the road is now open for cars there is expected to be a short closure this summer for approximately two weeks so crews can complete the underpass lanes, curbing and sidewalks.

Originally built in the 1960s, the I-86 and I-15 System Interchange is undergoing $112 million of redesign work to improve safety and replace aging infrastructure.

Motorists should follow all signs and posted speed limits while traveling through the construction area. With crews working day and night at the System Interchange it is especially important that drivers be alert and travel safely.

Planning is underway to improve the I-15 South Blackfoot Interchange (Exit 89)

Aerial photo of south Blackfoot interchange

The Idaho Transportation Department has begun the planning process to improve the South Blackfoot Interchange at Exit 89. The South Blackfoot Interchange has served motorists since 1961. Since then, eastern Idaho’s population and traffic volumes have greatly increased.

At this interchange, Interstate 15 crosses over U.S. Highway 91 on the Fort Hall Reservation. The interchange is in an area of I-15 that is heavily used for commercial, residential and recreational travel. To improve safety and mobility for motorists, it is necessary for ITD to replace the interchange with a design that has increased capacity and meets current standards.

Project plans currently include:

Lengthening ramps to improve safety.
Adding a dedicated exit lane to off-ramps to improve ramp operations.
Adjusting the interchange to accommodate future additional lanes on I-15.

Improvements to this interchange will be developed and designed based on traffic and other technical data, an environmental evaluation, surveying, and input from the public. The planning, design and environmental evaluation stage of the project is expected to be completed in 2026. Construction of the improvements is anticipated to begin in 2030, depending on the availability of further funding. This project is utilizing both state and federal funding.

ITD will provide multiple opportunities for the public to learn more about the I-15 South Blackfoot Interchange project throughout project development, including a public open house and pop-up meetings in early 2025. For more information visit the project website at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/i-15-corridor or call 208-252-5553.

Pocatello Creek ramp closure scheduled for this week

Drone photo of the System Interchange at Pocatello.

Beginning tomorrow at 7 a.m. the Pocatello Creek Road on-ramp to northbound Interstate 15 will be closed to allow crews to pave the new on-ramp. The closure is expected to last until approximately 5 p.m. Friday. Detours will be in place to guide traffic to the Northgate Interchange or to the Clark Street Exit.

Originally built in the 1960s, the I-86 and I-15 System Interchange is undergoing $112 million of redesign work to improve safety and replace aging infrastructure. The project is scheduled to be completed next summer.

Motorists are encouraged to use 511.idaho.gov or the 511 app to keep track of project detours. Project details are available here on ITD’s projects website.

ITD and ISP to host winter driving classes

Photograph showing class for winter driver safety

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), Idaho State Police (ISP), as well as Chubbuck and Bonneville County Police Departments are teaming up to provide free, informative and engaging winter driving safety classes through November as the region prepares for icy roads and adverse weather.

While these courses are beneficial for drivers of all ages and skill levels, they are especially geared to young drivers and anyone new to the area who may be preparing for their first winter driving season.

The course will be taught by ISP Troopers, local law enforcement officers and ITD Operators, covering a wide range of topics from proper vehicle preparation, equipment, road conditions, driving tips, crashes, and snowplow safety.

Participants who attend the course will receive a certificate of completion and be eligible for a 10% discount on a set of new snow tires at participating Les Schwab Tires locations.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Rocky Mt, Middle School Auditorium

3443 N. Ammon Rd.

Idaho Falls, ID

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12

5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Chubbuck City Hall

290 East Linden Ave.

Chubbuck, ID

Seating is limited and classes are filling up quickly! Attendees should register online-click here for the Idaho Falls class or click here for the Chubbuck class to reserve a seat. Additional courses may be scheduled at a later date.

Pocatello Creek ramp closure scheduled for tomorrow

Beginning tomorrow at 9 a.m. the Pocatello Creek Road on-ramp to northbound Interstate 15 will be closed to allow crews to remove pavement and to prepare to pave the new on-ramp. The closure is expected to last until approximately 2 p.m. Detours will be in place to guide traffic to the Northgate Interchange or to the Clark Street Exit.

Cold weather paving in Idaho: how we do it and why it works

Paving, compacting and temperature testing occurring in Idaho with Fall leaves in the background.

The Idaho Transportation Department is overseeing more road construction than ever before. This work continues as temperatures are cooling and the ice and snow make their all-to-soon appearance. How does ITD successfully pave a road and have one of the shortest summer seasons in the country? Materials engineering and testing actually do make it possible.

Before asphalt pavement is ever laid, the surface where it needs to go is sprayed with a binder that will make it stick. This is called tack, a liquid made of oil and water. Tack must naturally break apart to become adhesive, separating as it lays across the surface where paving will happen. As it breaks, tack turns from a brown color to darker black, indicating that breaking has happened, and asphalt can be laid on top.

On the warmest of Idaho summer days, tack breaks in about ten minutes. When it’s colder, it can take hours. Still, with the right process, tack will break. ITD just knows it takes longer and plans accordingly.

Hot mixed asphalt is combined in a hot plant that can heat the components—crushed gravel and oil—to more than 300 degrees. This is dumped from a truck and spread using a paver, then compacted with a roller. ITD inspectors are on site anytime the contractor is, testing temperatures, compaction and much more to ensure that taxpayers get their money’s worth out of each project.

For quality compaction on state highways and interstates, the process must occur between 240-280 degrees. On warm summer days, asphalt must sit for a while after being spread before it is cool enough to be compacted. On colder days, asphalt loads hauled from hot plants are covered in transit to retain the most amount of heat. The asphalt will then be spread, and the roller follows closely behind to compact immediately before the material has cooled too much. All century-old, effective tricks of the trade in action.

“We don’t loosen up our requirements just because it gets cold,” ITD Materials Engineering Manager Mark Hayes said. “All contractors are held to the same quality materials standards and only operate when there are ways to do it right.”

Most of Idaho’s state highways run through rural areas, far removed from permanent hot plant locations. This fall, paving is occurring on State Highway 28 between Leadore and Salmon. The closest permanent hot plant sits in Idaho Falls, nearly four hours away. Enter the mobile hot plant erected by contractors at the ITD Leadore gravel pit, less than five miles from where the asphalt needs to be delivered.

In Rexburg, where paving is still occurring on multiple interchanges off U.S. Highway 20, the contractor’s permanent hot plant lies in Teton, less than ten miles away. Planning to have these proximities ensures that temperature requirements are met, and paving can be done successfully both earlier and later in the year.

Of course, there comes a cold enough ambient daily temperature that means paving operations are simply no longer viable. ITD requires that the temperature be 40 degrees and rising for paving to happen, which can result in fewer hours to pave during the fall but still allows a window of work. The right equipment, materials, planning, testing and operating tricks of the trade make it so ITD and contractors can pave with quality even when it is colder outside.

When you see paving equipment and a compacting roller working close together while your heater is on inside your car, know that ITD and the industry have the brief Idaho summers and cold Idaho temperatures on tap. That new road surface will meet the same metrics as summer paving, ensuring it lasts for many years to come.

The Unhailed, Underappreciated Emergency Responders

SH-33 with road blockades and a pickup truck following an accident

People see the Idaho Transportation Department logo and seem to have an automatic response, for better or worse. They’re the ones causing construction delays, needing to get the snow off the road already, or taking too long whatever they’re doing. They don’t do anything right and never will. Their flashing orange lights could just as easily be the mailman.

It’s not likely that you think of ITD as being the ones to first call 911, the ones to keep you from freezing or assess injury at the side of the road. They’re not your emergency responders. But then again, yes, they are.

All across Idaho, there is no one that travels the over 12,000 lane miles of highways and interstates more continually than the men and women behind the blue and orange ITD logo. The likelihood that they’ll be there when a crash or emergency occurs is higher than anyone else. The police and ambulance have to be called in. ITD is already there.

When two crop duster planes collided and crashed alongside US-26 near Arco, an ITD striping crew was there, becoming the first to assess the pilots. When a motorcycle crash occurred on Interstate 15 near Dubois, part of the ITD maintenance crew was there, already working the roads they consider their own. The story is similar in the case of many incidents across Idaho over the years.

“We spend so much time on the road, that nine times out of ten, we’re the first on scene when anything happens,” Idaho Falls area foreman Jared Loosli said. “And we’re not just going to pass by and leave.”

In the instance of a recent multi-fatality crash near the I-15/ US-20 interchange, Loosli and his crew were called in immediately to assist the Idaho State Police. Most people don’t realize that when state troopers get called out, ITD is almost always called out too.

“We have great foremen for ITD here in Idaho,” ISP Lieutenant Marvin Crane said. “We have personal relationships with them, and they never say they can’t do something. They’re always asking, ‘What do you need?’ and getting things done within minutes.”

“It does affect you,” Loosli stated, also noting that the worst incident he’s ever been a part of happened to one of his own guys.

“The first thing I’m thinking about is my crew,” Ashton/ Island Park foreman Ryan Wright added. “At that point, there are no traffic devices, there’s not time and it’s not the priority. It’s just our guy in the middle of everything trying to help.”

Very recently, Driggs/ St. Anthony Foreman Lucas Richins witnessed what all ITD foremen prioritize and fear the most. An ITD maintenance worker was hit after a distracted driver ran through a roadblock while powerline repair work was being done on SH-33.

So not only are ITD employees unhailed first responders, they’re also the underappreciated workers putting their lives on the line every day. Earlier this year, three of Loosli’s crew were removing hazards from I-15 when a semi grazed the side of their vehicle, damaging the rear end and taking off the driver’s side mirror. A mere two inches would’ve changed the outcome of that incident entirely.

What is it that keeps the guys in yellow working in these risky situations and responding to emergencies, knowing full well that public opinion is often negative and even rude?

“These are small communities,” Mackay/ Challis foreman Jeremy Johnson noted. “When we go out on a call, it could very well be our own friends and families. We’re thinking of keeping them safe in everything we do.”

“When I’m doing something myself, I can see the progress and know that I’m making things safer for everyone,” Wright shared. “I actually love to go out plowing. I love what I do.”

“It’s really a mentality,” Loosli says. “You either have it or you don’t honestly. People complain because they drive by and see four guys standing around. But we know why, we see the bigger picture and the process. The 30 seconds people see isn’t the story of the whole 10-hour day at all.”

“On instinct, I’m thinking about what I could have done, how could this have been prevented?” Richins said. “But then the biggest thought becomes frustration. We’re here trying to help and to serve. When we close a road, the whole point is to keep people safe. Driver awareness is so negligent that it really is frustrating. It’s dangerous.”

Adding to the dangerous nature of the job is the reality that the ITD fleet are not considered emergency vehicles, and ITD signage is too often not respected. Multiple layers of striped road blockades or orange traffic barrels somehow don’t always keep people out.

“We don’t enjoy closing a road or causing delays,” Richins emphasized. “We do it and we have to because it is the safest way. People need to be patient and have respect.”

“I don’t need to be liked,” Wright added. “I’m still here to do a job and to protect people.”

So maybe the next time you barely notice the flashing orange lights of an ITD vehicle alongside the road, want to scream in standstill construction traffic or at being stuck behind a plow, you’ll slow down and think too that those folks in bright yellow are also the ones who will be there before anyone else can. They could be the difference between freezing after sliding off the road or staying warm until the tow truck gets there. They could be the one to help make sure that your own family and friends across our tight-knit Idaho communities are given emergency support in time to matter.

It’s even highly likely that they will be.

Closure of SH-38 railroad crossings near Malad starts Sept. 19

Three railroad crossings on State Highway 38 near Malad will close for repairs for up to three weeks starting Sept. 19, with some work beginning next week. Detours will be posted and message boards will be in place to alert the public to the coming road closure.

Preliminary work at the crossings will consist of delivery of materials and prebuilding new rail track panels outside the roadway and will not cause full closures.

Crews will replace the concrete pads and rails to make the crossings smoother. New drains will also be installed to address ponding issues.

Traffic impacts from this project and others are always available at 511.idaho.gov.