Road Closed...What?!

Three months ago, you planned a fun ski trip for this weekend on the other side of the state. Finally, the day is here and you get ready to head out the door. You’re expecting snow, but as of right now, the roads look fine. You have a long drive ahead of you — It’s 4 p.m. on a Thursday when you start your journey east to the mountains, and if all goes well, you’ll be there my 9 p.m.

A few hours into your drive, the weather takes a little turn for the worse. With snow coming down a little heavier, temperatures start to drop and the wind is now beginning to blow pretty hard. You start driving a little slower, and about 70 miles from the ski resort your travels have now become white-knuckle driving.

You are a little edgy and just want to get to the resort and off the icy roads. You start on one of the local highways, headed east to the mountain. About 45 minutes from the resort, you drive up to a road closure on the highway. Saying some choice words while thinking you can make it because you’re so close, you stop behind a semi waiting the storm out. You step out and realize its dang cold and windy, so you get back in your car and bundle up to stay warm. You later get back out of your car, but only to walk up to the gentleman sitting at the road block.

Dying to drive past the road block and get to the resort, you ask him the typical question…why is the road closed? The man says it is very low visibility, the five-foot snow drifts are completely across the road, and the road-maintenance crews cannot keep up as the wind is already at 45 mph. A little upset, you follow up with another question and start rationalizing…when will the road be open? Can I just drive through, I’m sure I can make it?!

The answer as to when a road will reopen is completely dependent on the situation, but the man tells you it will be open as soon as the weather cooperates and they can break though, so maybe tomorrow night. He adds that no, you cannot drive through the road block.

Quite upset at this point because this totally messes up your weekend ski trip, you turn around and decide to stay in a hotel nearby to wait out the storm in hopes the road will reopen soon. Instead of driving past the road block, you make a wise choice to wait it out.

If you live in Idaho, this scenario most likely has happened to you at least a few times.

It’s frustrating, it’s inconvenient, and trust us when we say we totally understand! Many travelers wonder why we close roads during the winter weather season. As this video shows, there can be many reasons, actually.

In severe weather road conditions, the #1 reason is low-visibility. ITD crews make numerous passes on our roadways, and if they cannot see well, they determine it is unsafe for motorists. Secondly, if the wind is blowing too hard, the snow drifts become uncontrollable. Once the snow drifts become unmanageable and the crews cannot keep up with them, this is also an indicator to close a road. Some other reasons would be severe black ice on the roadways, and heavy snowfall that is impassable. Also, in mountain passes, the road may close due to avalanches.

When crews close a road, it is closed for a good reason: to keep motorists safe!

ITD and the Idaho State Police do not like to close roads due to the weather — we would prefer to keep roads open in order to keep traffic flowing, but that is not always possible.

Here’s some food for thought —when coming to a road block, fight the urge to drive past it. Per Idaho Code 19-623, that is punishable by up to a $300 fine, is a possible misdemeanor, and could include imprisonment in the county jail.

So when you drive up to a road block next time, we recommend you simply turn back and stay in a safe place until the road reopens. Our #1 goal is safety for the travelling public and ourselves!

Roads will only be closed for you and your family’s safety. ITD works hard to create the safest travel possible. Be sure to drive for the conditions, plan ahead, be prepared, stay engaged, and visit 511.idaho.gov for current road conditions before you hit the road.

Published 02-28-20