Idaho Transportation Department will close U.S. Highway 95 on Sunday to repair landslide damage. This closure is expected to go through early May.
BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) plans to send crews to the Council area to help fix the damage caused by a landslide.
Equipment and crews will begin work on U.S. Highway 95 between Council and New Meadows at milepost 146.5, which is about 10 miles north of Council.
ITD said a full closure of U.S. 95 will start on Sunday, March 30. The closure is necessary to allow crews to work in the area. Starting at 8 p.m. on Sunday, there will be a full closure, but until then, flaggers are in the area directing non-truck traffic through a narrow one lane.
After the closure on Sunday, the road will remain closed, as the equipment will need both lanes.
A news release said that on Monday, March 31, ITD crews will begin excavating a 200-foot-long, full-width section of the roadway. Crews will dig up to 10 feet deep. Once excavation is done, construction will start. ITD states that the repair project will include a retaining wall and is expected to wrap up in early May. Once the work is complete, the road will reopen as usual.
“There are no local detours that are passable this early in the season, and no local routes suitable for the impact of highway traffic. The Idaho Transportation Department has modified permitting for commercial vehicles to allow companies to safely operate on SH-55 to continue delivering goods to rural communities. This temporary exception allows 53-foot single trailers to use SH-55 as a detour for now,” said ITD in a news release.
ITD is working with local agencies and employers to find the best route for local workers and to ensure uninterrupted services to all areas.
To check the status of the project, or other ITD projects, check out this link here. You can also download the Idaho 511 app.
