ITD maintenance-shed shuffle improves service, response time

Horseshoe Bend, Murphy, Garden Valley

ITD has maintenance sheds throughout Idaho that serve as hubs for highway safety and enables the department to better serve motorists. They represent ITD’s commitment to highway safety, mobility and enhancing economic opportunities.

District 3 is responsible for maintaining more than 2,600 lane miles and serving nearly 675,000 residents (43 percent of the state’s population) in southwest Idaho. The district also has the most bridges to maintain and the largest geographical area.

To provide those services, District 3 staffs maintenance sheds in Banks, Boise, Bruneau, Caldwell, Cascade, Council, Emmett, Hammett, Idaho City, Lowman, Marsing, Mountain Home, New Meadows, New Plymouth, Orchard, Riddle and Weiser.

To improve service, ITD will relocate the Banks maintenance facility to a site near Horseshoe Bend on Idaho 55. The move will enable crews to provide more timely response to Gem and northern Ada counties and continued response to Banks and Garden Valley areas.

Relocating the shed should be completed in 2014. The decision was prompted largely by a U.S. Forest Service reluctance to renew a lease at the existing site.

“We will provide better service to the grade south of Horseshoe Bend,” said Tom Points, district operations manager.

“The grade used to be plowed by Boise Maintenance, but the increase in Interstate 84 lane miles from GARVEE means plows need to stay in the valley when it snows. The grade now is maintained by the Cascade and Banks sheds. A Horseshoe Bend shed will improve service to customers on the grade.”

Points said the site was chosen because ITD already had a significant investment in land and facilities at the Horseshoe Bend POE and sand shed.

A new shed is planned in Garden Valley in a few years to service the Banks-to-Lowman highway that eventually will become a state route.

Published 12-21-2012