ITD, forecasting and preparedness partners
receive award for Pathfinder system
benefiting safety of Idaho travelers

The Idaho Transportation Department, National Weather Service and key partners in weather-monitoring and preparedness in the region, recently received an award for the Pathfinder system, which monitors weather conditions likely to affect travel to advise motorists of options to minimize the negative impact.

The goal of the system is to get the word out to motorists before the transportation system is in total gridlock because of adverse conditions — to reduce the weather’s impact on the traveling public.

Idaho’s Pathfinder efforts garnered the Larry R. Johnson Special Award by the National Weather Association.

ITD Emergency Planner Neal Murphy has spearheaded ITD’s involvement in the system. Murphy worked in partnership with National Weather Service offices in Pocatello, Spokane, Missoula and Boise to develop a protocol for communicating to the public in advance of major storm events. ITD then delivers those critical messages through social media, electronic readerboards, and other communication channels.

Over the few seasons Pathfinder has been active in Idaho, the system has been used successfully on multiple occasions to warn of heavy snow, blowing snow and blowing dust causing extremely low visibility. Several instances of statewide coordination have been initiated. Most recently, a Pathfinder event over Labor Day was initiated to get the word out about strong, gusty winds. The team began alerting the traveling public more than 12 hours before the event with coordinated messages and use of the electronic signs in both the Southwest Idaho I-84 corridor and Eastern Idaho’s I-15. The impact to travel was drastically reduced.

And the system will only get better, according to Murphy.

"It is an evolving program as we continue to improve the process and messaging," he explained.

Published 09-18-20