11/3/2011
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
ITD crews in southwest Idaho preparing for winter road clearing
BOISE - The beginning of November signals a change in focus from road construction to winter road maintenance in the Idaho Transportation Department’s southwestern region. In fact, snow has already fallen in some of the higher elevations.
Many of the area’s maintenance facilities have switched or are switching to a winter maintenance schedule – shifting employees to help with road clearing and adopting a
two-shift schedule to ensure 24/7 coverage.
"ITD has about 120 maintenance employees in the southwest Idaho area for winter activities, including some who move over from the construction side of ITD's operations during the winter, then shift back in the spring," said District 3 Maintenance Manager Dan Bryant.
The district includes more than 2,550 lane miles of highway that need to be cleared of snow and maintained for winter driving.
Last year, southwest Idaho crews ordered almost 3,300
tons of magnesium chloride (de-icer) and nearly 7,700 tons of salt.
De-icer often is used as the first line of defense to keep the snow from
bonding to the highway surface and creating ice. A mixture of salt and
sand is used at lower temperatures to melt snow while still providing
traction. Approximately $1.3 million is budgeted for salt, magnesium chloride and sand for anti-skid purposes.
Daily avalanche forecasting began this week from the Lowman Maintenance shed serving the avalanche-prone area of Idaho 21. The avalanche forecasting is supplemented by coordination with the National Weather Service to anticipate changes in the weather and mobilize crews for a quick response when necessary.
ITD maintenance employees are also getting in some practice with equipment before snow arrives. A snowplow simulator is being used to train new employees before they get behind the wheel. For the first time, an equipment training class also is being held for southwest Idaho maintenance employees.