Moon Pass remains closed amid tunnel repairs

WALLACE — The popular Silver Valley summer route to the Avery/Calder region of Shoshone County is currently being worked on and is closed to the public.

“As of right now, Moon Pass and tunnel 34 are still closed. So I urge people to understand that they need to stay away, for their own safety,” said Sheriff Mike Gunderson at Tuesday’s meeting with the Shoshone County Board of Commissioners (BOCC), Public Works Director Jim Cason, and Administrative Assistant Jessica Stutzke to talk about the progress made.

“The men are working with their equipment, and it’s dangerous for the public to be up there,” Stutzke said.

Last Thursday, a site visit was conducted with the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and United States Forest Service (USFS), as well as Commissioner Jay Huber and Cason.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process was completed on April 19 with the help of the USFS, which saw the urgency and was able to expedite the process.

“A big thank you to the forest service for expediting the environmental processes,” said Commissioner Mike Fitzgerald.

ITD did a site evaluation at the tunnel and concluded that the rest of the face needs to come down, the removal of fallen trees and debris, and the overburden that’s falling. Once all of those items are secure, the tunnel will be able to open back up.

“We can clear the face of it, and all the loose rock. There is also the big piece that’s hanging in the front with the rebar. That’s manageable and we can take care of it pretty quickly,” Cason said.

Public Works is also currently working on clearing Moon Pass as there are no possible detours available.

“The cost would take all of the money,” Cason said. “It would cost more than what we would get with emergency repair.”

The plan is to take from the field visit with ITD and complete the immediate repairs, such as clearing the face, securing and clearing the inside of any fallen debris, for the tunnel to be safe enough for the public.

“Once that is completed, ITD will do another site visit before they allow us to open it back up. They will make sure we did everything we were asked to do, and that it’s safe,” Fitzgerald said.

As soon as the repairs are completed, Public Works can then move to a more permanent restoration of the tunnel which was planned previously, but funds just recently obtained.

Public Works spoke with the Director of The Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LTHAC) at a Silver Valley Transportation meeting last week about the urgency of fixing this tunnel, the impact and its importance to the community. In addition, information was given about the estimated number of travelers over the peak summer season, which is about 400 a day.

Cason explained to the group, “For the commercial impact, we know $20 million comes from biking at Lookout. We also have ATVs, campers, and people traveling back and forth for a weekend trip. There is a massive impact with this pass and tunnel, with the recreational use.”

Fitgerald replied, “Also think of all the logging trucks that go through.”

Looking to the future, the next news will be hearing from LTHAC and receiving the emergency funds, which will then set a calendar in motion.

“It would take about a week to get somebody mobilized from the time the funds are released. It would be about a week to complete. Understanding the urgency,” Cason said.

Public Works currently has Thompson Pass, and Kings Pass open and are working now on clearing Moon Pass. However, that process may take longer than anticipated with recent winter weather.

Shoshone News-Press will continue to follow this story and update as more information is obtained.