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Caution urged as Idahoans embark on holiday travel

Work that could impact travel will be suspended on all ITD highway construction projects statewide July 3-5 for the Fourth of July holiday, except in special circumstances. ITD requires contractors on highway construction projects to postpone work on any highway, except for normal maintenance operations, during the extended holiday weekend if it could delay the traveling public.

Some of those extremely rare conditions in which work may continue are:

If crews are not working on a roadway open to the public;
If the road is already closed and all traffic is using a designated detour;
In an emergency situation (like flooding) where the roadway has been damaged and requires repair; or
On roads with very low traffic volumes.

"Like most of us, contractors have little interest in working over the holiday," said ITD Chief Engineer Tom Cole. "Most would probably take these days off anyway, even if it was not required."

ITD also reminds drivers not to drink and drive, to buckle up, follow the posted speed limit and call 5-1-1 or check 511.idaho.gov for highway travel conditions.

If Fourth of July holiday plans include travel on Idaho 55, ITD asks drivers to avoid the heaviest traffic by traveling outside peak travel times or using alternate routes. ITD will arrange for flaggers to help with traffic flow through the Idaho 55 junction with the Banks-to-Lowman Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway.

Since 1995, the transportation department has assisted motorists over the longer Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day holiday weekends at the heavily traveled junction.
Travelers will see electronic message boards and flaggers in that corridor to help move traffic smoothly on Wednesday (July 4), starting at 10 a.m. Flaggers will remain in place until traffic on the Banks-Lowman highway can safely enter Idaho 55 without assistance.

An Incident Response vehicle also will be stationed at the junction.

"Congestion is heaviest in this area, as travelers from the Garden Valley area access Idaho 55," ITD Maintenance Engineer Tom Points said. "We want everyone to have a safe and fun trip."

During holiday weekends, significantly more vehicles travel on those roads as compared to the average day.

There is about three times as much traffic on Idaho 55 than on the Banks-to-Lowman highway, so the flaggers maintain that same 3-to-1 ratio in terms of traffic delays: 30-minute delays on the Banks-to-Lowman highway and 10 minutes on Idaho 55.

All ITD projects will be suspended statewide July 3-5.

The transportation department offers the following tips for holiday weekend travelers:

Congestion is usually heaviest on the last afternoon of the holiday weekend, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Consider returning from your trip before or after that time to avoid the rush.
Consider using an alternate route. To use U.S. 95, travel north on Idaho 55 from McCall, take U.S. 95 south and use Interstate 84 to return to the Treasure Valley. This route may take less time than using Idaho 55 on a congested day. Recreationists leaving the Garden Valley area might consider using Idaho 21 to return to the Treasure Valley.
If you choose to use Idaho 55 when congestion is heaviest, be patient and plan an extra hour or two for your return trip.