The Bannock County Road and Bridge Department is dedicated to removing snow from Bannock County-maintained roads for the health, safety, and welfare of county residents. As winter weather approaches, we want to remind the public about best practices to help our crews safely and efficiently remove snow from the roads.

The Road and Bridge Department utilizes local and national weather forecasts and databases to anticipate and prepare for a forecasted storm.

During winter operations, snow removal can begin as early as 5:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. After-hours, weekend, and holiday snow removal will be done on a limited basis, with an emphasis on the busiest routes and emergency requests from law enforcement. 

Bannock County will make every effort to have school routes opened first so school buses can safely travel to their routes. For current information about school closures, visit your respective school district website.

School District 25

School District 21

Bannock County prioritizes roads based on school bus activity, amount of traffic, acute hazards, and roads deemed “no winter maintenance.” 

Snow-Removal Priorities:

#1        Danger spots such as steep grades, sharp curves, intersections, bridge decks, approaches, school bus routes, turnarounds, ramps, and other acute hazards and heaviest traffic routes.

#2        Medium to heavily traveled road sections, including routes traveled by bus lines and commuters.

#3        Lightly traveled roads, including primary and secondary roads, and areas for winter recreational vehicles.

For more information or to see what priority your road is, you can view Bannock County’s Winter Maintenance road map.

Homeowner Responsibilities:

Homeowners need to make their own arrangements to clear snow from the front of their mailboxes for mail delivery. Mailboxes and fences located in the county right-of-way that are damaged during normal plowing operations are not the responsibility of the County.

Under no circumstances may a homeowner remove snow from a county road without a permit. Permit applications are available on bannockcounty.us/road-bridge.

When homeowners are clearing snow from their driveways, the snow cannot be placed onto the County roadways, as it could become a safety hazard to the traveling public. We suggest snow be placed, if possible, on the right side of the driveway and as close to, if not on, the County road shoulder.  This can assist the plow driver in removing the snow without placing it back onto the driveway.

Additional Facts:

Bannock County will not be responsible for snow berms left in driveways or in front of mailboxes.

Bannock County, by statute, is prohibited from plowing private roads.

Bannock County is prohibited from plowing or sanding railroad tracks, as it is the Union Pacific Railroad Co.’s responsibility to clean all railroad crossings.

Bannock County personnel normally shall not remove snow beyond the right-of-way line, even at public road intersections.

View Bannock County Snow Removal and Sanding Policy (PDF)

 The hot, long summer days are packed with a ritual of upkeep that helps extend the lifespan of vital infrastructure. The roads Bannock County are responsible for lie outside of city limits, connecting our most rural residents to the rest of the community. Of the more than 460 miles the Road and Bridge team is responsible for, only 300 miles are paved.

Much needs to be done to maintain these rural roads: chip sealing, applying road paint, shouldering, mowing, sweeping, tree trimming, and more.

For questions or concerns, please call the Road and Bridge office at 208-233-9591 between Monday-Thursday from 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or email roads@bannockcounty.us.

View the current Bannock County Transportation Plan HERE.

The Road & Bridge County shop was originally  located at the County fairgrounds  near the old infirmary.   That building was destroyed by a fire July 7, 1942.  Practically all of the County road equipment was also destroyed in this fire. At that time, during WWII, the County chose to lease a building.   When they were notified that the lease was about to expire and would not be renewed, the County had to send a proposal to the War Production 
Board to have them grant permission for Construction.  The Conservation Order L-41 (a) 1075.1  “limits construction.  It is necessary in order to conserve materials, construction equipment, labor  and transportation”.  April 23, 1945 Bannock County wrote to the Board to request permission to construct a new  facility and three days later they received an application that had to be filled out giving a complete picture of the need and actual necessity of the proposed construction.  It was also required to return a copy of the eviction notice form the building owner of the leased facility.  The War Production Board  granted the County permission and the official open house was October 26, 1946.