ACHD Transportation Management Center extremely busy, due to snowstorms
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Jennifer Auh reports on the snowstorm response from behind the wheel and behind the desk in Idaho. Video by IdahoOnYourSide.com
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The continuous snow and freezing temperatures are keeping the police and transportation crews busy.
The Ada County Highway District and Idaho State Police said their phones are ringing off the hook, and their scanners are going off non-stop. They said they've been working around the clock, due to the snowstorms this week.
As of about 9 p.m. Thursday night, Idaho State Police said they've seen about 24 crashes in the Boise area and about 39 slide-offs.
However, transportation crews and dispatchers kept their cool, as car wrecks piled up throughout the Treasure Valley.
We visited the Traffic Management Center at the Ada County Highway District Headquarters, where the sky cams capture all of the crashes happening in real-time.
When we arrived, about seven crashes were documented in just five minutes. "Every time there's a snow day, it seems like people get crazy,” said Wendi Tillman, ACHD Traffic Management Center Coordinator, “I had 36 crashes on Monday, documented due to the snow storm.”
According to ACHD leaders, some of their vehicles were also involved in crashes. "We've had a few of our trucks rammed into by citizens, pushing it a little too fast," said Randy Noble, ACHD Superintendent of Maintenance.
They advise all drivers to be extra cautious around large trucks.
The ACHD Spokesperson Christine Myron told us all of the information captured in the Traffic Management Center goes to various outlets, such as the police department, sheriff’s office and the Idaho Transportation Department.
Then, the center helps police figure out how many officers to send and which roads to avoid, so they can arrive on the scene faster.
Idaho State Police said there was one major crash with serious injuries, near Glennsferry on I-84. As of Thursday night, I-84 and 1-86 from Burley to Utah are closed, due to slick conditions.
Police advise all drivers to call 511 for road conditions. For traffic updates, head over to ACHD's website. Here is the link: http://www.achdidaho.org/
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