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Early February driver assist on Lolo Pass earns kudos for D2's Johnson

Brian Bidlake and his father were traveling from Lewiston to Missoula in the first week of February when the transmission in his father's truck failed as they climbed Lolo Pass on the Idaho side of the hill. Bidlake feared the failure, at about 7:30 p.m., meant a long night in the middle of nowhere. Enter Jim Johnson (pictured below), a D2 maintenance employee from the Lochsa maintenance shed. Johnson also works on the district's Striping Crew during the summer months.

"We were about halfway between Lolo Pass and the Lochsa lodge, with no cell service and not even a single passerby to offer assistance. After a short wait, we were extremely relieved to see the lights of a plow truck coming around the corner," Bidlake wrote in an email.

"Jim gave me a ride to the pass, where I could call for a tow truck. During our short trip, he and the rest of the crew communicated with each other as well as the state patrol to make sure we received the help we needed. As Jim drove me to the pass, the other drivers secured the scene with warning flares to notify other drivers approaching of the danger ahead.

"I cannot give enough credit to the professionalism and kindness of the ITD crew. They could certainly offer some lessons to the neighboring states! Please pass on my appreciation to your team."