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Idaho Matters

Breaking down summer traffic on Highway 55

Every day, thousands of people drive Highway 55, but with new construction projects happening this summer people might want to prepare for a bit of traffic.

Broadcast on:
02 Jul 2024

(Idaho Transportation Department )

Every day, thousands of people drive Highway 55, which connects the Treasure Valley to places like McCall, Cascade, and Garden Valley.

And on summer weekends, the number of cars traveling the road can double as folks head up into and back out of the mountains.

Construction projects on the roadway, including replacing the Rainbow Bridge, will slow things down this summer, and nowhere seems slower to the folks who are stuck at the Banks to Lowman road intersection on a Sunday afternoon where traffic can back up for miles as cars try to turn into highway traffic going 55 miles an hour.

As the Idaho Transportation Department works to find a long-term solution for that intersection, the short-term plan is to put a traffic light there and provide more flaggers on the weekends in the meantime.

Transportation program manager Vince Trimboli joined Idaho Matters for an update on Highway 55.