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Ice storm slows Treasure Valley traffic to a crawl,
but no traffic fatalities were recorded as a result

January has been bitterly cold, snow from post-Christmas storms lingered much longer than normal and travel on Idaho highways has been treacherous at times.

Perhaps conditions were no worse than on Thursday morning (Jan. 24). Nature added ice and freezing rain, crippling commuters throughout the Treasure Valley and beyond.

The most important outcome of interstate conditions from Boise to Bliss didn't receive public or media attention: there were no traffic fatalities. Thursday’s storm made highways treacherous, but not deadly.

Snowfall on Wednesday night turned to rain early Thursday morning, making some Idaho highways the equivalent of bobsled runs. Schools throughout the valley closed for a second time in January, and administrators who didn’t cancel classes (the Boise and Meridian School Districts) second-guessed their decision to remain open.

The day started early for ITD maintenance crews, but they were hamstrung in their efforts as the “warmest” road surface temperatures registered only in the teens, meaning de-icer was ineffective. Instead, crews treated the highways with salt to melt the ice and snow and added sand for traction. Still, the roads were challenging enough that the entire 83-mile stretch of Interstate 84 from Boise to Bliss was closed in both directions for most of the day.

Tony Ernest, ITD's 511 coordinator, had no interstate closures in his records that were longer in terms of miles affected. Steve Grant, in the Office of Communications, said he’d never seen anything like that I-84 closure in his 60 years in the Treasure Valley. A 30-year veteran commercial truck driver told a television reporter it was the worst he’d experienced while hauling loads.

The eastbound I-84 lanes reopened first, in early afternoon, and the westbound lanes followed around 4 p.m. Even then, ISP continued to clean up a five-mile stretch between Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry, where at least 20 jacknifed or overturned tractor trailers where still being removed.

It got so bad at one point that Idaho State Police officers were parking their cars and walking from crash site to crash site, because their own cars were sliding on the ice.

In at least one case, the officer got out of the car, put it in park and walked away and the car slid – unoccupied - into the damaged rigs. Two ISP officers, one who have lived in the Valley for four decades, said they couldn’t remember a worse ice storm.

Multiple media sources reported more than 150 slid-offs or crashes on Thursday.

The closure, unmatched in the past three or four decades, took its toll, causing vehicle crashes, interrupting commerce, forcing detours and delays, and generating frustration.

But the most important outcome of interstate conditions from Boise to Bliss didn't receive public or media attention: there were no traffic fatalities. Thursday’s storm made highways treacherous, but not deadly.

The joint decision by ITD and the Idaho State Police to close I-84 was prudent and effective. It prevented tragic loss of life – a remarkable accomplishment given the conditions.