Motorists encounter new traffic pattern next week on US-93 in Lincoln County

Motorists traveling on US-93 south of Shoshone next week will encounter a change in traffic pattern as newly constructed climbing lanes open for use. The new lanes are expected to open on Tuesday (Nov. 5).

“The addition of these climbing lanes will allow drivers to safely pass slower vehicles that may be traveling along the elevated stretch of roadway,” said south-central Idaho project coordinator Kenny Lively. “These new lanes will improve safety in the corridor for both commercial and passenger vehicles.”

Since May of this year, the Idaho Transportation Department has been constructing a divided highway with approximately three miles of northbound and southbound lanes near Notch Butte.

Portable message signs have been added on US-93 alerting drivers of the upcoming change in pattern. Motorists should pay attention while driving through this area as they become familiar with navigating the new roadway.

Drivers can expect increased traffic delays during Salmon Falls Creek Bridge work on US-30

Next Wednesday and Thursday (Oct. 30 & 31) the Idaho Transportation Department is planning to place a bridge deck on the newly constructed Salmon Falls Creek Bridge near Banbury Hot Springs in Twin Falls County.

“While the deck is being placed, motorists will encounter longer than normal delays,” says ITD Project Manager Kenny Lively. “Although most construction delays have been minimal, this upcoming work could result in wait times upwards of 30-40 minutes. As such, we are recommending motorists utilize an alternate route during these days.”

Weather permitting, placement of the deck is expected to take place between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. In the mornings and evenings, when work is not underway, the area will be open to single lane traffic with a temporary traffic signal in place.

This is part of a larger bridge replacement project that has been underway since June of this year. When completed, the new structure will be both wider and longer – accommodating two 12-foot lanes in each direction, and incorporating a new left-turn lane as well.

Construction on the project is expected to be complete by early summer of next year.

The general contractor is RSCI from Boise.

ITD reminds drivers of safety in work zones during construction season

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) reminds motorists to drive carefully through work zones — for their own safety and the safety of construction workers.

ITD has more than a dozen projects planned this year in District Four. Every project is different in terms of road pattern changes and reduced speed limits.

Each year, ITD draws special attention to safe driving in or near work zones during Work Zone Awareness Week, April 8-12.

District and HQ collaborate to expedite I-84 bridge repair

Earlier last week, crews in District 4 worked with the Headquarters Bridge section to repair damaged bridge joints on Interstate 84 near Glenns Ferry. It was most likely damaged due to the lower position of that joint compared to the rest of bridge deck and the resulting impact and vibration of passing vehicles. You can hear it on this video.

During a routine inspection, HQ Bridge Inspector Toby Griffin found that a portion of the bridge joint was missing, and another section was broken and loose.

“I was in the area doing a routine inspection of railroad structures below when I heard loud clanking sounds coming from the bridge deck above,” said Griffin. “This was not normal, so I investigated further and discovered the broken joint.”

Toby texted a photo of the damage to his supervisor, Dan Gorley, who quickly reached out to D4 Maintenance Coordinator Shawn Webb.

After discussing the situation, it was determined that a lane closure would ensure the safety of motorists driving westbound on the interstate. Despite it being after normal working hours, crews were onsite and implementing traffic control within the hour, while district and headquarter personnel worked into the evening to develop an emergency repair plan.

The following morning, crews were dispatched to the bridge deck to begin work. Repairs included removal of broken bolts, rethreading of damaged base plates, and welding and re-installment of the broken finger joint section.

“This was a great example of ITD personnel working together in an efficient and collaborative effort to ensure successful execution of one of the department’s key mission points – safety,” said Webb. “Four separate crews came together quickly to work as one to find a viable solution that allowed us to reopen the roadway within 24 hours of the initial discovery.”

The Bliss Foreman area crew, the D4 Bridge crew, the D4 Welder/Machinist, and personnel from HQ’s Bridge Inspection crew all participated in repair efforts of the broken bridge joint.

Planning is underway for development of a strategy to address the joints located on the westbound and eastbound bridges at this location. Webb stated that “the goal is to have a more permanent solution regarding this issue in the near future.”

Union Pacific Railroad Bridge Replacement in Gooding County

As early as mid-February, US-30 west of Bliss to Interstate 84 will be closed while the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge undergoes replacement. Motorists traveling to Bliss via I-84 will need to use Exit 141.

Construction work will include installment of a new box culvert as well as utility relocation. The new bridge structure will have an increased width to allow for larger vehicles to pass. Approximately 1.5 miles of US-30 will also be reconstructed as part of this project.

Subject to weather conditions, work is expected to be complete this fall. The railroad will continue to be operational throughout construction.

Western Construction, Inc. from Boise is the contractor for this project.

The Idaho Transportation Department is responsible for all highways on the State Highway System – interstates, state highways and U.S. routes. All other roads are under the jurisdiction of the local, city or county entity.

Solar Eclipse Traffic Report

UPDATE: Tuesday, August 22

Here are the preliminary numbers of total cars traveling to and through Idaho for the 2017 Solar Eclipse: Our traffic counters near the state borders counted 449,530 cars entering the state between August 18 and August 21. This number was an increase of 71,140 during that same time frame last year when 361,270 cars were counted entering Idaho at those same locations. ITD estimates more than 160,000 visitors came from out of state for the event (see methodology below).

The bulk of the visitors came from Utah and Oregon. Areas where the traffic was busiest include I-15 between Utah and Idaho Falls, US-93 near Craters of the Moon, US-20 near Arco, ID-95 from Payette to Riggins, and ID-55 north of Eagle.

Many locations in the mountains saw a steady stream of increased traffic throughout the weekend, up until the morning of the eclipse. Monday morning, routes along the I-15 corridor saw the biggest spike for day-of traffic. Travel home did cause congestion along the above routes. Most of that cleared up by 5:00 p.m. Monday, though congestion lingered on I-15 until 9:30 p.m.

ITD experienced an increase in visitors to our online resources, including the eclipse web page and blog posts. Total unique visitors to these pages is 82,000.

Traffic Counter Location†	2017 Eclipse Traffic‡	2016 Comparison§	% Traffic Change
Banks-Lowman Hwy	7850	6220	+26%
I-15, Pocatello (Exit 63)*	112720	85840	+31%
I-15, Dubois (near MT)*	24210	17120	+41%
I-15 Blackfoot (Exit 98)	129280	106430	+21%
I-84, W. of Caldwell (Ext 13)*	116800	100740	+16%
I-86, btw Twin Falls and American Falls (Exit 15)	35650	36590	-3%
ID-21, Robie Creek	17610	14490	+22%
ID-33, WY Border*	33610	31610	+6%
ID-55, Eagle	56220	51000	+10%
ID-55, Banks	30330	30200	+0%
ID-75, N. of Shoshone	19110	16250	+18%
ID-75, N. of Hailey	60880	56990	+7%
US-20, NE of Ashton*	37870	35570	+6%
US-20, W. of Idaho Falls	9950	9720	+2%
US-20/26, E. of Arco	19080	12320	+55%
US-30, W. of Lava Hot Springs	27510	27860	-1%
US-91, UT Border*	35960	32210	+12%
US-93, Craters of the Moon	15080	7900	+91%
US-93, NV Border (S. Rogerson)*	24260	19280	+26%
US-95, N. of Salmon River Bridge*	15840	11810	+34%
US-95, Fruitland*	48260	44210	+9%

* Site used to calculate out of state visitors

† For an interactive map of the traffic counter locations, click here.

‡ Counts ran from 11:00am 08/17/17 to Noon 08/21/17.

§ Counts ran from 11:00am 08/15/16 to Noon 08/19/16

Visitor Methodology

This number is meant only to be an estimate of visitors to Idaho for the 2017 solar eclipse and is not intended to be authoritative. ITD’s method for estimating visitor numbers took the change in traffic count from 2016 to 2017 at border locations (marked with *), multiplied by 2.5 people per average vehicle, minus 5% for local traffic. This method does not capture the number of visitors who may have flown into Idaho via commercial flights or backcountry airstrips.

I-84 resurfacing between Nampa and Caldwell begins

BOISE – The Idaho Transportation Department will begin initial construction activities next week on a summer project to resurface deteriorated pavement on Interstate 84 between Nampa and Caldwell.

ITD will share details about construction activities and sequencing at a community open house Thursday, May 25 at the Hampton Inn at 5770 Franklin Road in Nampa. Community members are invited to come at their convenience from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

ITD is using weekend and nighttime traffic control to minimize traffic impacts during the weekday commute.

During four weekends this summer, ITD will shift all I-84 traffic to one side of the interstate (eastbound or westbound) while crews work on the other side. On these four weekends, one lane of traffic will be open in both directions between Nampa and Caldwell from 7 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. All lanes of I-84 will be open during the weekday.

Check out the project website here.

Final weekend dates will be scheduled based on factors such as traffic counts, weather predictions, equipment and materials availability, and the project schedule.

Community members may request email notification of the weekend dates by texting INTERSTATE84 to 22828. ITD will announce exact dates as soon as they are scheduled.

Other traffic impacts for the project will include occasional nighttime lane restrictions, shoulder closures and speed-limit reductions. The project includes resurfacing I-84, the Northside Boulevard interchange ramps and two ramps at the Franklin Boulevard Interchange. Guardrails will be improved throughout the project area.

Idaho Materials Construction is the contractor for this $9.5 million project.

Bad crash brings silver lining

Keeping our roads safe often requires a lot of partnerships – from local governments, to businesses, and even drivers. ITD crews in eastern Idaho are receiving praise for their efforts to repair a heavily damaged traffic signal in Pocatello.

“I cannot recall a project that went as smoothly as this one,” said Mike Neville the Traffic Operations Supervisor for the City of Pocatello.

Signal Repair Pocatello — *Crews repair a signal badly damaged in a crash*

The signal at the corner of Oak and Yellowstone in Pocatello was heavily damaged earlier this month after it was hit by a truck. Within a week workers from District 5 were ready to make repairs with a brand new signal pole.

“They did a great job of ensuring that the replacement pole was ready, on site, and would fit on the foundation,” Neville said. “It was nice to have such successful cooperation between ITD and the City of Pocatello.”

Replacing the pole took ITD crews away from their families so they could work with while there were fewer cars on the road. Their professionalism, even on their off-day, was noted by those in the area.

“While I do not look forward to additional poles being struck by vehicles, I do look forward to being able to work together again in the near future,” said Neville.