11/17/2015
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
ITD’s north Idaho crews record state-best measure for winter road clearing
COEUR d'ALENE - Maintenance crews from the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) work hard to mitigate the safety hazards that slick winter roads pose for drivers across the state. Statistically, drivers in northern Idaho may be in the best shape to cope with those problems.
Last winter, ITD maintenance crews serving the northern Idaho region posted the top mobility index in the entire state.
Six of the top 12 mobility locations in the state were found in ITD’s District 1 (northern 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.
Crews in northern Idaho posted a mobility index of 82 percent -- the percent of time during slick and dangerous winter-driving conditions crews kept road surfaces bare and passable for the traveling public. Every ITD region in the state posted a rate of at least 70 percent, with the statewide average of 73 percent, much higher than the 55-percent standard and the 59 percent average recorded the year prior.
ITD has steadily improved in that area of road maintenance, rising from 28 percent mobility in 2012.
“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.”
“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.”
Crews had access to 18 RWIS 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 deice 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 ITD 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."
Click here for a picture of an ITD winter snowplow.
