Heading south? U.S. 95 is open
The Idaho Transportation Department opened a gravel road on U.S. 95 after a rockslide blocked traffic south of Riggins since July 3.
Photo by Idaho Transportation Department
U.S. 95 is once again available to travelers after a major rockslide blocked a 4-mile strip of highway south of the Riggins area.
The Idaho Transportation Department opened a temporary gravel road around the base highway Tuesday morning, allowing two lanes of traffic through the area from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“We have been monitoring the slope since the initial slide occurred on July 3, and we will continue monitoring the slope while traffic is moving around the base of the slide,” Idaho Transportation Department Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said in a news release. “Safe monitoring can only occur during daylight so the hours of travel will be reduced to coincide with such.”
ITD rock removal crews have been blasting and drilling boulder debris from the area since July 10, diverting traffic through a detour on Old Pollock Road. Final repairs could begin next week, according to the ITD website.
“We appreciate how cooperative and patient the public has been throughout this process,” Hopkins said. “Our crews have been, and will continue, to work as quickly as possible to safely restore the highway and driving conditions back to normal.”