7/9/2015
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
ITD north Idaho regional crews record state-best mobility index, benefiting drivers
COEUR D'ALENE - Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) maintenance crews in north Idaho posted the top mobility index for the entire state for area roads. During the recent winter season, crews posted a mobility index of 82 percent -- the percent of time during slick and dangerous winter-driving conditions that crews kept road surfaces bare and passable for the traveling public.
Click here for a picture of an ITD snowplow in operation.
“My crew is outstanding, and they were able to prioritize and had the commitment to clear the roads quickly and completely,” said Gary Sjogren, ITD foreman for maintenance in the Silver Valley. “Having access to good materials and good running equipment also was very helpful.”
Click here for a picture of Sjogren, and here for a picture of Palmer (mentioned below).
In 2012, the statewide standard was set at 55-percent mobility. ITD has steadily improved in that area of road maintenance, going from 28 percent mobility in the first year to 59 percent two years ago. Continuing that upward trend, the department recorded 73 percent mobility during winter storms statewide last year.
Six of the top 12 mobility locations in the state were found in ITD’s District 1 (north Idaho). It marks the third year in a row that District 1 crews have been above 70 percent on the mobility index. No other region in the state has achieved that level of sustained performance.
“Our success was due in large part to the fact that we could position added manpower where it was most needed,” said Coeur d’Alene South and East Foreman Dave Palmer. “We worked together as a cohesive team, had great support from neighboring foremen, and utilized Roadway Weather Information Sites (RWIS) capabilities more than ever before.”
The RWIS sites electronically feed real-time, surface- and road-condition information to crews to help determine the road-clearing methods and materials needed to keep the roads safe and passable. They also provide important information about atmospheric conditions – wind speed and direction, precipitation rate and type, barometric pressure and relative humidity. Some also provide snow-depth and subsurface temperatures.
RWIS sites are also able to identify whether the precipitation is ice, snow, water or a combination. This, helps crews determine the most effective way to address roadway conditions.
Crews had access to 18 RWIS sites in District 1 during the 2014-15 winter road-clearing season.
“Because of the materials and equipment we had daily access to, we also were able to de-ice much further and much more effectively than we could even five years ago,” Palmer added.
"We are very proud of the work our maintenance crews do to keep the roads clear," said D1 District Engineer Damon Allen. "This is another great example of the dedication and commitment of our crews to provide the best highways we possibly can for northern Idaho drivers."