In the Snowpocalypse of ’17, ACHD was overwhelmed. Is it up to the job today?

Boise-area transportation officials are encouraging residents to stay off the roads as the region is forecast to get heavy snow, high winds and blizzard-like conditions through the weekend.

For those who still have to commute or travel, local crews are working around the clock to make sure main thoroughfares and pathways are cleared. The latest winter storm comes after the Treasure Valley saw over 5 inches of snow Wednesday morning, causing school closures and slide-offs.

Rachel Bjornestad, a spokesperson for the Ada County Highway District, said Thursday that snow-removal crews moved to 24-hour operations as the National Weather Service in Boise anticipated an additional 6-13 inches.

“We’ve been out in full force,” Bjornestad told the Idaho Statesman by phone. “Yesterday, it just came down so fast. Even right after we had plowed, snow was accumulating on the road. There’s a little bit that’s left over.”

The first roads to be plowed include major arterials, collectors, intersections, overpasses, bridges, hospitals, fire stations, railroad crossings, schools and streets with steep grades, ACHD said in a news release.

Next, crews work to clear school bus routes, and then residential streets.

The winter weather conditions may hearken back to the Snowpocalypse event in January 2017 when Boise picked up over 21 inches of snow, the Statesman previously reported. But this time around, local snow removal crews say they’re better equipped to handle the mess such conditions create on the roads.

“Even when there is a break in the snow, our crews will still be working to clear the roadways before the next storm moves in,” said Jennifer Berenger, deputy director of maintenance at ACHD, in the release.

Dozens more snowplows are deployed

This year, ACHD has 43 snowplows, all of which are deployed when the area gets significant snowfall, according to Bjornestad. During Snowpocalypse, the highway district had only 12.

She said the agency has also increased its stock of magnesium chloride and salt, which it uses to de-ice roads, and has built up its network of private contractors that it can call upon if needed to clear snow.

But even as the roads are plowed and treated with de-icing materials, some snow will likely be left over, Bjornestad said. She said drivers should proceed accordingly as the storm moves in, which means slowing down, leaving more space between vehicles and fully clearing your car, particularly your windshields, of snow.

“Also, if you do see a plow, give them some space and get behind them,” she said. “Remember that they’re giving you a clear path. And do not ever pass a plow on the right. The vehicles sit very high up — they’re raised so far up that their blind spots are a lot bigger than a regular sedan.”

When snowfall is heavy, crews sometimes use a technique called tandem plowing, where two or more plows work side by side to clear multiple lanes at once, she said.

Snowplow crash reported in Boise

Snow removal on some roads and highways in Ada County, including Interstate 84, Eagle Road, Broadway Avenue, Chinden Boulevard and State Street, is managed by the Idaho Transportation Department.

The department said in a news release Thursday that so far this winter, its snowplows have been struck four times by other vehicles. On Wednesday, one of its plows was hit by a semitruck attempting to merge on Interstate 84 near Blacks Creek Rest Area south of Boise.

The accident was spurred by a crash ahead that was forcing traffic to move over, it said. No injuries were reported.

“Drivers are encouraged to time their travel around the storm or stay home when possible to make it easier for plows to clear roads,” the department said.

Maintenance crews with the department are working 12-hour shift rotations to keep the state’s highways plowed, using more than 80 snowplows throughout Southwest Idaho, according to the release.

Boise ‘snow watch’ crews to maintain Greenbelt, downtown pathways

As flurries blanketed the Valley again Thursday, two “snow watch” crews with the city of Boise’s Parks and Recreation Department prepared to start clearing sidewalks and other pedestrian pathways in the downtown corridor early Friday morning.

Clint Stevens, horticulture division manager, said the department has a rotating list of workers on call to watch the weather overnight and, when it snows, call crews around 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. to start removing it.

The department works to clear areas including the Boise River Greenbelt, Grove Plaza, park parking lots and frequently trafficked sidewalks.

“We like to get in as soon as possible to avoid pedestrian traffic,” Stevens told the Statesman by phone. “We’re going to keep an eye on those main areas where we know people will be at.”

He said the city has a few cameras around town that it uses to monitor snowfall. If the cameras register more than an inch, snowplow operators are brought in. If snowfall is measured at less than an inch, the department might call in its four sidewalk plows, which are four-wheelers with plow blades attached, but not its trucks, which it uses to plow wider areas like parking lots.

The city’s crews cover sidewalks from 13th through 15th streets along Front Street and from Third and 15th streets through State Street.

“If snow continues, they’ll go back and see where they need to do more, or just restart their route,” he said.

More snow coming for Boise? A foot of snow is still possible. Here’s the updated forecast

Boise schools close, while some in Treasure Valley remain open after 5 inches of snow