Road departments often fail to ensure safety for all road users in construction zones. This one happens to be on an interstate highway, so high speeds are definitely a factor.

Locally, ACHD often fails to provide accommodations for people navigating the public roads and right of way if they are not traveling in a vehicle. People on foot or bike often have to dodge construction signage or move into the roadway to navigate a construction site whether it is an ACHD project or a hotel downtown. People with disabilities have an even tougher time.

ACHD is updating their ADA Transition Plan. This plan mostly addresses existing deficiencies and how to fix them. But many road departments also add ways to accommodate pedestrians and bicycles in a construction zone and comply with ADA standards.

Adding these accommodations to a construction zone traffic plan will create a less confusing environment and add an extra level of safety for all.

The legislature needs to put more troopers on the road. At any one time the state usually has about 5 Troopers to handle all of the Boise region and a few resident troopers scattered in Valley and Elmore county. The region spans from Adams county to the Oregon border south to Owyhee County and East to Gooding county/Elmore county line. Then account for Troops off for training, vacation and sick time it doesn’t leave many cars out to patrol.

The city and county officers don’t patrol the interstate as it is seen as ISP responsibility and their response area. They respond when ISP is not available.

It seems like in this instance the signage might have not have been sufficient because there had been calls to both Ada County and ISP dispatch the night prior, however sometimes no matter how much warning is given there are still inattentive drivers that will cause crashes.

RIP

Over 3 million miles of freeway driving. Several close calls. Lucky! Often is a macho idiot involved or someone too tired or texting or drinking or drugs. Driving with misplaced aggression on the increase?

Doing traffic stops in or near construction zones causes collisions. Also minimal patrols because lawmakers and their families will collect tickets at higher than average rate?

The coneheads with clipboards need to wise up. I have repeatedly experience construction zone traffic cone diversions with inherently confusing and dangerous designs. Each day it gets a little bit more dangerous as the cones get knocked about. The dumbest thing in Boise is the eastbound speed limit increase to 80 a few feet before the Micron/Gowen exit. You can’t tell me people with a degree in traffic engineering arrange this stuff?

Brian, while I agree with your coulda woulda shoulda summary in spirit. The fact remains humans are less than perfect. Human judgements and senses are designed by the creator for walking speeds in daylight. Roadways need to accommodate human errors of judgement, perception, and skill so as to minimize the implications of human failures. Very few perfect humans on the freeway. Very few NASA astronaut candidates are driving trucks and cars. Only a fool thinks they are such a good driver this can’t happen to them.

The geeky guy from Idaho Transportation Department who has been confidently declaring it’s not their fault on the TV news needs to understand that even if the guidelines were followed, young people in the prime of life are needlessly dead. This means the geeky people who make the guidelines need to change the guidelines for improved safety within traffic diversions.

This wreck is a big surprise in Boise but similar wrecks for similar reasons happen routinely all across America. The NTSB should be involved in the investigations since the problem is killing way more people than planes, trains, and ships. I have no idea why Americans accept the high roadway dead rates when much lesser threats are more aggressively addressed.

There is slow improvement with bigger improvements during economic recessions. We can do better.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year

ACHD. I’d like to point out ITD has a stoplight installed at ITD HQ on State street exclusively for its own parking lot. The location does not meet criteria for a stoplight. In the interest of smoother traffic flow on a busy commuter route that stoplight should be removed.