BOISE — UPDATE: Idaho Highway 55 is back open this morning after being closed for almost 12 hours overnight.
ORIGINAL STORY: Idaho Highway 55 will close from Banks to Donnelly from 6 p.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday due to blowing and drifting snow.
Idaho Transportation Department said its crews continue to fight the storm while there is daylight, but conditions at night will make those operations unsafe. The ferocity of the storm is forecasted to dwindle in the early hours Tuesday. When conditions allow, plow operations will resume. Additional resources are being dedicated to re-open the road as quickly as feasible.
ITD strongly recommends no one attempts to travel in this area. Local roads are also closed as a result of blowing and drifting snow.
NEWS ALERT: SH-55 closing 6pm tonight until 6am tom from Banks to Donnelley due to drifting/blowing snow and poor visibility. Unsafe for public and plow operators. Be advised many local rds in Valley County closed. Please check https://t.co/lRVWnFEUd2 before travel.
— ITD (@IdahoITD) February 12, 2019
"Our foreman is reporting the worst conditions he has seen in nearly a decade," said ITD spokesman Jake Melder. "Plow operators see drifts four feet deep in the center of the roadway. As we continue the fight to keep the road open, we know we can only push so hard before putting our crew members at risk."
ITD urges drivers to check road closures and conditions before leaving on Idaho's traveler advisory service at 511.idaho.gov
