5/26/2010
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Flaggers will help relieve heavy Memorial Day traffic on Idaho 55
BOISE - If your Memorial Day weekend (May
29-31) plans include travel on Idaho 55, the Idaho Transportation
Department advises you to avoid the heaviest traffic by traveling outside peak
travel times or using alternate routes. ITD also will again supply flaggers to help traffic flow.
Since 1995, ITD has assisted motorists over the longer Memorial Day, Fourth of
July and Labor Day holiday weekends at the heavily used intersection of Idaho
55 and the Banks-to-Lowman Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway.
Travelers will
see electronic message boards in that area along with flaggers to help traffic move smoothly on Monday (May 31) starting at 10 a.m. Flaggers will remain in
place until no longer required. Click here to see photo of last year's flagging operation.
An Incident Response vehicle also will be on hand.
"Congestion is heaviest in this area, as travelers from the Garden Valley
area access Idaho 55," said ITD Maintenance Engineer Gary Moles. "We
want everyone to have a safe and fun weekend."
During holiday weekends about three times the amount of traffic travels on
those roads as compared to the average day. On Memorial Day last year, there were nearly 2,500
vehicles traversing the Banks-to-Lowman road (versus 990 average) and over
5,500 going southbound on Idaho 55 (vs. 1,700 average).
That's about three times as much traffic on
Idaho 55 compared to the Banks-to-Lowman highway on Memorial Day, so the
flaggers maintain that same 3:1 ratio in terms of cycle length - 15 minute
intervals on Old Highway 17 versus 5 minutes on Idaho 55.
All ITD projects will be suspended during the holiday and many will resume June
1.
The transportation department offers the following tips for holiday weekend
travelers:
- Congestion is heaviest on the last evening
of the holiday weekend, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Consider returning from your
trip before or after this 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 may want to use 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.
ITD and the Idaho State Police caution motorists to slow down and
pay attention when driving in work zones, where increased speeding fines and
other penalties apply. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and dial 5-1-1 or
visit 511.idaho.gov for information on the state highway or interstate system.