Traffic

When stay-at-home-orders went into effect in states across the U.S. to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, ecologists realized they had a perfect research opportunity to study the connection between traffic patterns and animals killed in collisions. Fraser Shilling, with the Road Ecology Lab at UC Davis, was one of those scientists. 

Traffic volumes plummeted in mid-March as the coronavirus hit Idaho and many people began staying and working at home. But as restrictions are about to be loosened, the number of cars on Idaho roads is creeping back up.

Monday’s start to the fiscal year means that most new laws passed by Idaho’s Legislature go into effect—including the “Move Over” law.

Street closures are pretty common these days around Boise with all of the road work going on. But it’s not every day traffic gets diverted due to a house in the middle of the street. That’s exactly what’s been happening behind St. Luke’s Hospital since early May, though.

Because of the increasing congestion downtown Boise faces on weekends, the city has decided to launch a pilot program with the goal of increasing safety for people getting in and out of cars.

This weekend, repaving work stemming from the beating the I-84 took over the winter will shut down big sections of the interstate between Nampa and Caldwell.

Beginning at 7 p.m. Friday and lasting through 5 a.m. Monday, the I-84 will be down to a single lane in each direction. It’s the Treasure Valley’s own version of Carmageddon.

People in San Francisco have been talking about Idaho a lot these days. Specifically, the city of almost one million residents has been debating whether the "Idaho stop" should be adopted. That’s the shorthand given to the 1982 law that says people riding bikes can treat a stop sign like a yield sign, and a red light as a stop sign.

Drivers in downtown Boise Wednesday may find their commute a bit different. Two streets, 13th and 14th, went from one-way to two-way overnight. The Ada County Highway District (ACHD) did this with four other downtown streets last year; 3rd, 4th, 11th and 12th. It plans to convert Jefferson Street next year.