Rock removal to start Monday to reopen US-95 at the slide south of Riggins
Boulders blocking the path of U.S. 95 south of Riggins.
Idaho Transportation Department
RIGGINS – Work crews are expected to start removing rocks at the base of the slide on US-95 south of Riggins on Monday. The temporary road built around the base has been blocked by massive boulders since the slope failed for a second time last week but may be open in time for next weekend.
“Our entire timeline is dependent on survey results,” Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said. “If we observe movement, that will limit our ability to have crews working underneath the slope and delay the eventual reopening of the temporary road.”
No significant movement has been detected since late last week, allowing scalers to finish dislodging loose material on the rock face this week.
Removing debris and rebuilding the rock berm to shield the temporary road is planned to take at least all week.
“Some of these boulders are 40 feet wide,” Hopkins said. “We’ll need to drill and blast them into small enough pieces to be removed.”
In the meantime, drivers will continue to be detoured to Old Pollock Road, which is open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. PDT / 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. MDT.
To ensure the long-term stability of the slope, ITD has hired WHPacific to design a mitigation plan that will include controlled blasting. Those plans are scheduled to be advertised in a few weeks to allow for construction in late summer. At this time the duration and costs of removal of the rock face are unknown.
Drivers should download the 511 app to check for the latest conditions. For progress updates, drivers should visit itd.idaho.gov/news-info and follow ITD on Facebook and Twitter.