BOISE, Idaho — People in Treasure Valley woke up on icy and slippery roads Friday morning because the first heavy snowfall of the season fell overnight. 

As early as 1:30 in the morning, the staff of the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) began to work to process and clear the road before the morning rush hour. 

“What we see today is that the snow fell on a warm road, then the snow melted into water, and then the temperature dropped rapidly, causing icing,” said Jennifer Berenger, Deputy Director of ACHD Maintenance .

ACHD has 153 team members using all of their 63 units to help deal with the roads, 44 of which are equipped with plows to deal with roads with salt and sand. Berenger told KTVB that they did not have to cultivate any roads in their jurisdiction on Friday morning. 

"Trucks are equipped with plows, so we can use them when we need them. But usually when we only have an inch or so of accumulation, usually you are a salt/sand mixture, and magnesium chloride deicing is the use we tend to use," Bei Lunjie said. "Then, when the accumulation reaches the point where we need to move it off the road, we will plow the land."

Although the staff did their best to clear the roads to ensure safe travel, on Friday morning alone, the Aida County Sheriff’s Office reported at least 29 car accidents. 

With more snow and ice conditions expected in the near future, transportation agencies such as ACHD and the Idaho Department of Transportation (ITD) want to remind people of the difference between driving in winter and driving in summer.

"We always like to focus on two different factors, first is your preparation, and second is your behavior while driving," said Jake Melder, ITD's public information officer.

ITD recommends that people use anti-winter wiper fluid when they need to clean the windshield. They also mentioned things like small shovel and cat litter to prevent someone from slipping into the ditch.

Meld said: "If you are going to the mountains, let people know and be prepared for some dangerous situations." He added that roads that were once gravel and unmaintained in summer may still be unmaintained and snow in winter. More.

Berenje said: "The most important reminder I can say is to plan for the conditions, observe the weather, understand what is going to happen and plan your day appropriately."

Both agencies strongly advise people to take their time and slow down on the road.

"This alone can solve 80% of the challenges you might find," Meld said. 

It is recommended that people give themselves more time to reach their destination and leave more space between the cars behind them.

"If they stop quickly, you have time to react and stop," Berenje said.

The same goes for snowplows and trucks.

"Keep a certain distance so that if they put materials on the road, they won't be splashed by them or get some materials on your car," Berenger said.

Overnight, an ITD snowplow in northern Idaho was hit by a truck trying to overtake from the right. ITD reported that no one was injured, but the plow left the road for several hours, which distracted the staff and caused the road conditions for other drivers to worsen.

"If you really feel that you need to go through the plow, we usually don't recommend it, but never go through the plow on the right. That's where all the snow is plowed," Meld said. 

Both agencies told KTVB on Friday that even if there is a shortage of truck drivers across the country, they still have enough staff to handle the roads this winter.

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