2/10/2009
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Drive safely near snowplows
BOISE - Tomorrow morning's Winter Weather Advisory - and the snow and icy roads predicted - should come as no surprise to anyone who has lived in Idaho for very long. The Idaho Transportation Department would like to remind drivers to slow down when driving in these conditions.
Especially near other drivers...or snowplows.
So far this winter, two ITD snowplows in the region were damaged by motorists running into the back of them. There have also been close calls with drivers trying to pass snowplows, not realizing that there are wider wingplows attached...which may not be visible if covered in snow. There is also usually a sizeable "plume" of snow coming from the edge of the plow.
ITD crews are on winter maintenance schedule, which means 12-hour shifts with plows on the road at all times before, during and after snowstorms. However, a heavy storm makes it difficult to keep the roads clear of all snow and slush.
"If it takes us one hour to make a 'lap' on a road section in a plow, and it is snowing one inch per hour, that means by the time our plow gets back to the place where it started, another inch of snow would have fallen on the road," said ITD District 3 Engineer Dave Jones. "Even if we put two plows on this section each making a lap opposite each other, they would see another half-inch of snow each time they got back to their starting spot."
The transportation department's mission is to keep the roads safe for the circumstance. When it snows, it is the responsibility of motorists to slow down and proceed with caution.
ITD also reminds motorists to check 511 for road conditions before heading out, or check conditions online at: 511.idaho.gov.