STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

The American flag will be the focus today, but it’s orange flags that Wood River Valley residents have seen flying all summer given the road construction to replace the Trail Creek Bridge and widen Highway 75 south of Ketchum.

Many business owners have bemoaned the time construction and landscaping crews have spent stuck in traffic. And commuters have had plenty to say about having to wait 45 minutes or more to get from the Meadows Trailer Park to Ketchum, as well.

But the staff at Zions Bank in Ketchum is trying to make things easier for those stuck in traffic.

They’re handing out Zions Bank Traffic Emergency Kits.

Flonencia “Flor” Arana and Jessica Lopez have stuffed plastic Zip-loc bags with chips, Ritz’s peanut butter crackers, a bottle of water, Twizzlers and hard Werther butterscotch candies and Jolly Ranchers to suck on so that no one suffers from dehydration or malnutrition while stuck.

They hand them out to customers at teller windows and in the drive-thru. And some evenings they’ve even gone outside the bank to hand care packages to customers stuck in traffic during the evening commute home.

“I asked the girls how we could show our customers that we care about them, and they came up with this idea to get people through in traffic. We want to let people we know we are thinking about them,” said branch manager Tina Gorby.

Bankers have gotten an earful from customers about the highway construction—some of it directed to Ketchum’s Main Street reconstruction project between 4th through 6th Streets, which closed the street in front of Zions Bank for two months.

“Each day is different when it comes to the amount of time you spend sitting,” Gorby said.

Gorby lives just three blocks away from the bank and sometimes she has trouble getting home. One of the tellers was supposed to have lunch this week with someone who was 35 minutes late because, even at that later hour, it took her 50 minutes to get to Ketchum from Hailey.

Sawtooth Brewery has introduced a Road Red beer, its name presumably reflecting the red that some commuters are seeing.

But it’ll never make its way into the bank’s emergency kits because you’re not supposed to drink and drive—even if, technically, you’re sitting there, rather than driving.

Ketchum’s Main Street between 4th and 6th Streets did reopen on Wednesday, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday.

“It looks good and, really, the whole town looks nice with flowers and planters and the chip sealing. I hope everyone, including those involved with Allen & Company appreciate it!” said Gorby.

Mayor Neil Bradshaw said he wants to thank Ketchum residents and business people for their patience during the Main Street reconstruction.

“The good news is that no significant work for Main Street is expected for the next 30 years,” he added.