6/28/2012
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Flaggers will assist travelers, reduce traffic congestion at Idaho 55 and Banks to Lowman intersection on holiday
BOISE - If your Fourth of July holiday plans include travel on Idaho 55, the
Idaho Transportation Department asks you to avoid the heaviest traffic
by traveling outside peak travel times or using alternate routes. ITD
will arrange for flaggers to help with traffic flow through the Idaho 55
junction with the Banks-to-Lowman Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway.
Since 1995, the transportation department has assisted motorists over the longer Memorial Day, Fourth of July
and Labor Day holiday weekends at the heavily traveled junction. Click here for a picture of previous flagging and here for a picture of flagging at the same intersection during the 2012 Memorial Day holiday.
Travelers will see electronic message boards and flaggers in that corridor to help move traffic smoothly on Wednesday (July 4), starting at 10 a.m. Flaggers will remain in place until traffic on the Banks-Lowman highway can safely enter Idaho 55 without aid.
An Incident Response vehicle also will be stationed at the junction.
"Congestion
is heaviest in this area, as travelers from the Garden Valley area
access Idaho 55," ITD Maintenance Engineer Tom Points said. "We want
everyone to have a safe and fun trip."
During holiday weekends, significantly more vehicles travel on those roads as compared to the average day.
There
is about three times as much traffic on Idaho 55 than on the
Banks-to-Lowman highway, so the flaggers maintain that same 3-to-1 ratio in
terms of traffic delays: 30-minute delays on the Banks-to-Lowman
highway and 10 minutes on Idaho 55.
All ITD projects will be suspended statewide July 3-5.
The transportation department offers the following tips for holiday weekend travelers:
-
Congestion is usually heaviest on the last afternoon of the holiday weekend,
from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Consider returning from your trip before or after
that 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 might consider using 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.
