Flaggers will help guide holiday traffic at Idaho 55, Banks to Lowman Highway

If your holiday weekend plans include travel on Idaho 55, the Idaho Transportation Department asks you to avoid the heaviest traffic by traveling outside peak travel times or by using alternate routes. ITD will assign flaggers to help with traffic flow.

Since 1995, ITD has assisted motorists over the longer Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day holiday weekends at the heavily traveled intersection of Idaho 55 and the Banks-to-Lowman Wildlife Canyon Scenic Byway.

Travelers will see electronic message boards in that area along with flaggers to help traffic move smoothly starting at 8 a.m. Monday, July 4. An Incident Response vehicle also will be on hand.

"Congestion is heaviest in this area, as travelers from the Garden Valley area access Idaho 55," said ITD Maintenance Engineer Tom Points, adding that traffic increases during holiday weekend.

There is about three times as much traffic on Idaho 55 than on the Banks-to-Lowman highway, so the flaggers maintain that same 3:1 ratio in terms of traffic delays - 15 minute delays on the Banks-to-Lowman highway vs. 5 minutes on Idaho 55.

All ITD projects will be suspended during the holiday weekend and many will resume Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

The transportation department offers the following tips for holiday weekend travelers:

• Congestion is heaviest on the last afternoon of the holiday weekend, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Consider returning from your trip before or after that time to avoid the rush.

• Consider using an alternate route. To use U.S. 95, travel north on Idaho 55 from McCall, take U.S. 95 south and use Interstate 84 to return to the Treasure Valley. This route may take less time than using Idaho 55 on a congested day. Recreationists leaving the Garden Valley area might consider using Idaho 21 to return to the Treasure Valley.

• If you choose to use Idaho 55 when congestion is heaviest, be patient and plan an extra hour or two for your return trip.

For more information, go online to itd.idaho.gov and check travel conditions at 511.idaho.gov or dial 5-1-1.