BOISE COUNTY, Idaho — A new traffic signal at the intersection of Highway 55 and Banks Lowman Road was put to the test over Memorial Day weekend, the first major holiday since its installation. The intersection, a gateway to popular summer destinations for rafting, camping, and hiking, had long relied on stop signs and occasional flaggers to manage surging traffic.
At the height of summer recreation season, the new signal is now part of the daily routine for raft guide Luke Robins, who works at Bear Valley Rafting and lives nearby.
"Turning onto Highway 55 is pretty hard sometimes. You have to wait for a while… extra bad turning like out of a parking lot like this one, especially with like the buses here. So if you had like a big vehicle, it was pretty sketchy," Robins said.
For years, drivers faced long waits and safety concerns at the intersection, particularly during summer weekends and holidays.
"Yeah, it was no stoplight before. And then really busy weekends, like probably Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July, they would have flaggers out," Robins said.
The Idaho Transportation Department activated the new signal in early May. While the change may not speed up travel time, Robbins said it has made things safer and more consistent.
"It’s definitely safer. I don’t know if it’s any faster or anything, but it’s definitely like more…people are not going as fast through here, which is nice," he said.
ITD says the signal is equipped with sensors that detect vehicles from all directions, but only if drivers stop at the white line.
"So like when we pull in on the Banks parking lot side, that light’s pretty much always red, but it doesn’t turn green until you pull up to it and it senses you’re there," Robbins said.
ITD officials say they will continue monitoring the signal's performance throughout the summer, including traffic flow, sensor function, and signal timing. The agency is also planning long-term improvements to accommodate increasing demand, including the possibility of widening the nearby bridge and adding turn lanes.
