Trees to be removed on Highway 5 near Heyburn State Park
Crews are scheduled to remoe hazard trees along a five-mile stretch of State Highway 5 near Heyburn State Park.
Photo courtesy ITD
ST. MARIES — Starting next week, crews are scheduled to begin removing hazard trees along a 5-mile stretch of State Highway 5 near Heyburn State Park.
“Any tree within reach of the highway that is compromised, whether due to its health or stability, is considered a hazard due to the potential of falling onto traffic,” project manager James Dorman said.
Work will begin near Hillwood Lane and move west to Chatcolet Road over the course of four to five weeks with the highway reduced to one lane during the day in the work zone, according to a press release from the Idaho Transportation Department.
While the tree clearing operation is underway, ITD will provide flaggers and a pilot car to safely guide traffic through the work zone.
Work will occur weekdays from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will take a scheduled break May 23, 24 and 28 to avoid slowing down increased traffic surrounding Memorial Day weekend.
To complete this work, ITD is collaborating with the Idaho Parks and Recreation Department, which is working with foresters and a local contractor to identify potentially hazardous trees for removal.
“The trees that have been identified for removal are on Heyburn State Park property, but the safety concern involves ITD right of way," said Parks public information officer Craig Quintana.