Idaho

ITD looks to 'green light' snow plows

Published

1 year ago

December 30, 2023

A few snowplows in North Idaho are taking part in a preliminary testing program to assess the efficiency of increasing visibility on plows to reduce the number of strikes each winter, Idaho Transportation Department officials said.

These ultra-bright, LED lights are being tested not only to measure how effective they are but also how well they stand up to the abuse of being attached to one of the hardest working members of a snow fighting team — the wing plow.

Science has proven that green and yellow are some of the most highly visible, detectable, and recognizable colors on the spectrum to the human eye, both day and night, which is why green and amber have been selected as the colors for testing, ITD officials said in the news release.

Often, even when it’s not actively snowing, the plows on these trucks kick up tremendous clouds of snow and slush, making it extremely difficult for drivers to see the low-profile wing plow while crews work.

No matter how often drivers are warned to never pass a plow on the right, inevitably there are those who either miss the memo or are too impatient to heed the warning and that is typically when those plow strikes occur.

The hope is that these bright lights will produce enough illumination to shine through the sprays of snow, slush, and ice and be a visual warning to motorists that there is dangerous equipment on the road ahead.

Compared to the heavy financial hit suffered each time a plow is struck, these lights are an incredibly inexpensive and effective way to improve safety, each costing around $300 in total for the parts and labor required to install them.

On the flip side, while the circumstances of each plow strike are unique, it is estimated that it costs the Idaho Transportation Department roughly $10,000 per incident in parts and labor to repair equipment damaged in an incident. In addition to the financial hit, the larger impact is often having a truck out of service for extended periods meaning additional strain on mechanics to get them fixed, and on plow crews to work harder with fewer resources to keep the roads safe.

If these lights prove successful over the 2023-24 winter, ITD will likely do a more comprehensive pilot program next year including more trucks across broader areas of the state.

Green lights have been successfully adopted by several state transportation departments including Utah and Montana, and in several cities and counties in eastern Washington. They are also currently being considered by Washington, Wyoming, and Oregon state transportation departments.

“Having uniformity between neighboring agencies is another big reason we are trying this out,” ITD fleet operations manager Ryan Crabtree said in the news release. “This uniformity enhances safety by ensuring driver experiences and expectations remain the same from place to place as they travel throughout the Pacific Northwest.”

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Idaho

Passengers evacuated after “suspicious device” was found at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport – Local News 8

Published

1 hour ago

January 12, 2025

Press Room

Passengers evacuated after “suspicious device” was found at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport – Local News 8

The following is a media release from the City of Idaho Falls.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (City of Idaho Falls) – Around 3:50 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, a security incident occurred at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport resulting in the response of the Idaho Falls Police and Fire Departments.

Passengers were immediately evacuated to a safe terminal area while an investigation occurred.

During the security screening process, a suspicious device was discovered in the luggage. Upon concluding the investigation, it was determined the suspicious item was not dangerous. The airport has no further information to provide at this time.

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Idaho

Suspicious device found at Idaho Falls airport was not dangerous, officials say – East Idaho News

Published

9 hours ago

January 11, 2025

Press Room

Suspicious device found at Idaho Falls airport was not dangerous, officials say – East Idaho News

IDAHO FALLS – A suspicious device discovered in someone’s luggage at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport Saturday afternoon resulted in an evacuation.

The Idaho Falls Police and Fire Departments responded around 3:50 p.m., according to city spokesman Eric Grossarth. The item in question was not specified.

Authorities detained passengers in a safe area of the terminal during the investigation. Witnesses say it lasted around 30 minutes and the road leading to the airport was closed during that time.

Ultimately, police determined the device was not dangerous.

Roads have re-opened and authorities have cleared the scene.

EastIdahoNews.com will provide updates as we receive them.

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Idaho

Idaho Legislature’s budget committee accepts report recommending raises for state employees – East Idaho News

Published

17 hours ago

January 11, 2025

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Idaho Legislature’s budget committee accepts report recommending raises for state employees – East Idaho News

BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) – The Idaho Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee closed out the first week of the 2025 legislative session Friday by accepting a report recommending raises of $1.55 per hour for all state employees.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, or JFAC, is a powerful legislative committee that meets daily and sets the budgets for every state agency and department.

A day earlier, on Thursday, the Idaho Legislature’s Change in Employee Compensation Committee voted 7-3 to recommend the $1.55 per hour raises.

On Friday, JFAC voted to accept the report with the recommendation from the Change in Employee Compensation Committee, but it did not vote on whether to approve the raises.

An actual JFAC vote on the raises is expected on Wednesday or Thursday.

JFAC also accepted a report Friday from the Economic Outlook and Revenue Assessment Committee that projected $6.4 billion in state revenue will be available for next year’s budget. The $6.4 billion projection is slightly under Gov. Brad Little’s $6.41 billion revenue projection.

“We recommend caution in making appropriations above the committee’s revenue projection,” Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls, told JFAC on Friday. “The committee recognizes economic uncertainty related to the impact of the Federal Reserve Bank addressing inflation and the recent presidential election.”

The action is expected to pick up considerably next week for JFAC. JFAC’s long-term schedule lists statewide maintenance budget decisions on the schedule for Wednesday, which could include decisions on state revenues and the proposed $1.55 raises for state employees.

On Friday, JFAC members are expected to set the maintenance budgets for all state agencies. JFAC leaders describe maintenance budgets as bare bones versions of last year’s budgets, with all the one-time money and projects removed. The maintenance budgets are simply meant to keep the lights on for state agencies. Under budget changes approved last year, new spending requests and replacement items are called budget enhancements, which are considered and voted on separately from the maintenance budgets.