Multivehicle crash involving semi-truck closes Idaho 55 highway near Smiths Ferry
A multivehicle collision that included a semi-truck initially blocked both lanes of Idaho 55 near Smiths Ferry on Tuesday night and caused delays for several hours.
Idaho State Police said in a news release that three vehicles were part of an accident at around 3:30 p.m. near milepost 98, which is close to the Cougar Mountain Lodge. The semi-truck was loaded with sand; the two other vehicles were a car and a pickup truck that was pulling a trailer with a boat, police said.
The semi rolled over and was “partially hanging over the embankment” into the Payette River, according to police. The unidentified driver of the pickup truck was injured and transported to a hospital by air ambulance, they said.
Motorists were asked to find alternate routes from the main thoroughfare between Boise and McCall or adjust their travel plans because the highway could be closed at least two to three hours, the release said. The northbound and southbound lanes were initially closed, the Valley County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post, before shifting to alternating traffic in each direction by 6:15 p.m.
The highway was fully reopened after 11 p.m., the sheriff’s office said in an update late Tuesday.
The sheriff’s office assisted Idaho State Police with the collision, which was still under investigation. The Cascade Fire Department also was at the scene, according to the Facebook post.
The accident occurred just south of the construction zone for the ongoing Idaho 55 road-widening project near Smiths Ferry, Mollie McCarty, an Idaho Transportation Department spokesperson, told the Idaho Statesman by phone.
This story was originally published August 15, 2023 at 6:36 PM.
