Boise winter driving and road maintenance (Nampa: how much, home, college)

[ca_north]

I'm looking for info on how much snow actually sticks to Boise roads, how often it becomes a safety issue, and whether they use corrosives like salt. Are plows often unnecessary, as I've read? Does anyone have problems with rusting frames, etc.? Do you ever find yourself stuck at home or trapped in the metro area due to snow elsewhere?

Also, how conservative are most Boise drivers? I find that "veterans" in snow country everywhere drive too fast and seem too casual about it. The evidence is in many avoidable wrecks caused by haste. Can any generalizations be made about Boise area drivers? Thanks.

[spiritbear928]

I am from Minnesota and I can say the winters are mild but when it does snow Idaho has no clue about road maintenance. They just let it melt so unlike Minnesota where the next day the roads are salted and clear, Idaho can have ice for several days and the people just speed over it

If you fear ice, live in the town you work in or at least avoid rural area commutes such as Boise to Nampa

[Anchorless]

There's quite a few dangerous and/or deadly collisions, too.

[Torrie]

Originally Posted by ca_north

I'm looking for info on how much snow actually sticks to Boise roads, how often it becomes a safety issue, and whether they use corrosives like salt. Are plows often unnecessary, as I've read? Does anyone have problems with rusting frames, etc.? Do you ever find yourself stuck at home or trapped in the metro area due to snow elsewhere?

Also, how conservative are most Boise drivers? I find that "veterans" in snow country everywhere drive too fast and seem too casual about it. The evidence is in many avoidable wrecks caused by haste. Can any generalizations be made about Boise area drivers? Thanks.

The nice thing about Boise is that snow doesn't seem to stick to the roads for very long. In the five years that I've been here, when it snows, it's two inches here, three inches there, another two inches, etc. It's really not that bad. Typically our average snowfall is a little over 21 inches. This year we were somewhere between 32 or 34 (can't remember exactly). The main roads are well maintained from what I can see. What can become challenging are the side roads which don't get as much attention.

Driving in snow is difficult no matter where you're located. I've noticed that at the start of the season, people could benefit from a friendly reminder to slow down, but then as the season kicks in, people take notice and slow down on their own. That's just been my perception, not that others might feel differently, but that's what I've noticed.

Oh, one more thing, they use a de-icing liquid called magnesium chloride on our roads.

[Lacerta]

I remember one time about 10 years ago or so, I was driving to work on Milwaukee in the winter. It hadn't snowed in about 4 days, and the ruts in the ice were so bad that I had to pull over 4 times in a mile to close my hood (it kept being jarred open from the bouncing). I've never seen it that bad any other time. We did use to joke, however, that the college I went to in Utah had more snowplows than the entire Ada County.

The main roads are somewhat maintained, but the side streets are usually not at all, except for a few intersections. This last winter, I had several days that spots had gotten bad enough you couldn't turn some corners at all, even at 5 miles per hour, there was just no traction. I ended up in a parking lot once when I didn't mean to. It hadn't snowed for 2 days that time.

As bad as that sounds, we don't really get that much snow...usually it is gone from the roads on its own by midday. And they use both the de-icer that Torrie mentioned as well as sand. I haven't had any problem with any sort of rusting, myself.

[2ndHalfCor]

Boise's winters vary greatly, but even without much snow (in inches) small skiffs that ice up the streets are common, and usually seems to show up at drive time. Studded snow tires recommended.

The bigger deal for me, is that there is no getting out of Boise without driving into worse winter conditions. I have canceled many holiday trips to Utah and north Idaho because of road closures, or just scary storms moving through the region. Every few years someone makes a wrong term in snowy weather, gets stuck and dies from exposure. Lots of empty, lonely, space in this region.

When I've been forced to travel around the region due to business during the winter months, I've, more than once, been forced to stay over far from home and wait for roads to open. Other times I've wondered whether my business need was worth risking my life. Just no way to avoid winter travel problems other than staying in town.