Moon Pass expected to reopen in July

WALLACE –– A rockslide that blocked the road over Moon Pass has been cleared and crews expect to have the roadway opened early next month, according to Shoshone County Planning and Zoning Director Jessica Stutzke. During a meeting with the Shoshone County Commissioners on Thursday, Stutzke explained that the rock and debris been cleared from the road and moved to a staging area to be crushed. Once crushed, the gravel will be used to repair the road.   

The slide happened in early April and prompted the Commissioners to declare a state of emergency to secure the necessary funding to clear the debris and reopen the road. 

Initially estimated to be 8,000 cubic yards of debris, that number swelled to approximately 10,000 cubic yards that have been moved and now awaited crushing and removal.  

Stutzke explained how, in the wake of the disaster declaration, the county received $100,000 in emergency funds from the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC), but haven’t used any of that funding as they waited on responses from the State and Federal level.  

Earlier this month, Idaho Gov. Brad Little declared the slide an emergency at the State level, which was sent to President Joe Biden, who made a major disaster declaration last week. Pres. Biden’s declaration opened the county up to secure funding reimbursement through FEMA for the work that has been completed.  

According to Stutzke, FEMA will reimburse up to 75% of the actual costs for disaster work like the rockslide. The State of Idaho, through Gov. Little’s emergency declaration, will reimburse 15% of costs, leaving Shoshone County with only 10% of the overall cost-share associated with the project.  

“Worst case scenario we have 10% to cover, which we can easily absorb with the labor and equipment we’ve already put into the project to date,” Stutzke said.  

The county is still awaiting a response from the Federal Highway Administration, which could provide a different avenue for reimbursement with a few more perks for the county to explore. 

Danielson Logging and Rock out of St. Maries submitted a bid of $120,000 to the county to handle the crushing operations, which was approved by the Commissioners.  

Stutzke expects the final total costs for the project to be around $350,000.  

“I’m really proud of our road department workers, they have really come together and worked hard to get this pass opened for the community,” Stutzke said. “That’s been their driving force, they want to get it opened as quickly as possible for travel.”