ITD announces new detour route for I-15 between Osgood and Roberts

I-15 between the Osgood Area and Roberts is notorious for dust storms during the summer months. Often visibility gets so bad, the Idaho Transportation Department has to shut the freeway down and require people to take a long round-about detour away from the area. While the dust is still a problem, the long detour is no longer an issue.

“After a lot of study and discussion, we’ve decided to change the detour to make things easier and safer,” said Ben Burke with ITD.

Previously during interstate closures, drivers going north would have to take US 20 up to State Highway 48 in Rigby. Then they would have to zig-zag past multiple schools… neighborhoods… and homes to eventually get back on the freeway in Roberts. The long detour added more than 11 miles to someone’s drive.

Now northbound simply have to get off at the Osgood area exit and take Old Highway 91 north to Roberts and then get back on the freeway.

Old highway 91 meets up with County Line Road right next to the old Osgood Store gas station just off the freeway. It’s much shorter than the old route and adds less than half-a-mile to a drivers total journey.

Burke said the new route is much safer for drivers during dust storms despite being only a few hundred yards from the freeway. . Geography dictates that Old Highway 91 between Roberts and Osgood doesn’t see as much dust as I-15.

ITD said they chose the new route because Highway 48 was not made for interstate traffic and has multiple schools right next to it. “State Highway 48 has five schools on this route. And to intermix interstate traffic to traffic to the schools is a huge risk and poses huge problems,” said Burke