Traffic from this year’s Fourth of July events
It’s the day after the Fourth of July, and many are still recovering from Wednesday’s celebrations. Many in Idaho falls attended the “Melaleuca Freedom Celebration.” Besides the fireworks, the big talk this year was the traffic.
The 60-acre space to watch the show had over 150-acre space for parking. The venue had Idaho Falls Fire Department, Idaho Falls Police Department and Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office working together to guide traffic.
With the addition of having someone from Ball Ventures in command, it also helped get people in and out faster than in years past.
“I’d probably have to give the most kudos to the planning stage,” said Captain Bill Squires, of IFPD. “When you have a really good plan and good communication that goes with it, then generally the operation is going to go smooth.”
Ball Ventures CEO, Cortney Liddiard, issued the following statement:
“Ball Ventures and Snake River Landing are proud to have had the honor of hosting the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration and Riverfest. It is a pleasure to bring together well over 100,000 people in honor of our great nation. I’d like to thank all who made the event possible, especially our employees who spent countless hours to make this year’s event a success.”
Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson also issued the following statement about the events:
“This year, there were so many people we simply couldn’t count. Compared to last year, we estimate that at least 20% more people attended.
We want to commend the team at Snake River Landing & Ball Ventures for creating a very effective traffic plan. Execution of the traffic plan was the key to getting so many people out of one area quickly and efficiently. They did a wonderful job and Melaleuca’s centralized website made it easy for the public to get information about where to park and how to get in and out of event locations.
We are delighted that everything went so smoothly and we are grateful to be partner in what has become a legendary event in the Northwest.”
