IDAHO, USA — All the recent extreme winter weather is causing damage to roads around the Gem State, prompting headaches for drivers.
One of the most traveled roads that are affected is Highway 55.
The Idaho Transportation Department has reduced the speed limit for a stretch of the highway between Banks and Smiths Ferry from 55 miles per hour to 35 mph.
“A section of 55 between Banks and Cascade – really, about a ten-mile section, is experiencing some rapid deterioration there," said Jake Melder, a spokesperson for ITD. “We knew that pavement wasn’t in the best condition before this winter but the extreme weather we’ve gotten, particularly in the last month, has really caused that pavement to deteriorate quickly.”
“We’ve been patching it as we go but new potholes are forming left, right and center and it’s just very difficult for our crews to be able to keep up with it,” he added.
Melder said ITD has been putting cold patch material over the potholes to temporarily seal them until warmer weather allows for a more permanent solution.
“We do have a project funded to repave that section of road that’s experiencing the worst deterioration," he said. "That work actually involves us milling out the old asphalt and putting new asphalt in and we can't do that kind of work in the winter.”
Melder said construction to do that work would reduce traffic to one lane, which is not ideal in the winter because snowplows need to get through.
Another reason crews can't work on the road now is that the solution they need for a long-term fix has to be heated to 350 degrees before it can be poured over the pavement, according to Melder. That can't be done in cold temperatures.
ITD advises drivers in the area to be cautious and pay extra attention when behind the wheel.
"Plan ahead, pay attention to the signage that's out there, go slow, allow more room and increase your following distance," Melder said.
Highway 55 isn't the only road that experienced a punishment from the weather.
Several roads in Minidoka County, particularly in the Rupert area, are dealing with messy roads thanks to flooding.
“The gravel roads are really wet," Carl Bailey of Rupert said. "You’re sinking six or eight inches, or ten or 12 inches in some spots. Then if you have ditches going underneath with culverts or laterals, most of those are washed out so you can’t cross those roads.”
He added that some fields are even seeing ponds of water - varying in depth across the county.
Bailey said he's seen it worse, but the flooding and runoff are higher than a typical year.
“Not standard at all," he said. "2017 was really bad, but most years we don’t get run off like this. I’ve only seen it run off like this maybe four or five times in 30 to 40 years.”
Several roads within Minidoka County are closed because of the flooding and washed out roads. The Minidoka County Sheriff's Office updates road closures daily on its Facebook page.
Highway 75 in Blaine County and Highway 21 were also closed as of Friday night because of weather-related concerns and dangers.
To see a complete list of up-to-date road closures in Idaho, visit ITD's 511 website.