County seeks public comment over potential North Fork road work

WALLACE – Shoshone County Public Works Director Jessica Stutzke met with the county commissioners earlier this week to discuss several road failures in the North Fork Coeur d’Alene River region of the county.  

According to Stutzke, three sections of road are in dire need of repair or replacement: two of them along Old River Road and another on Prichard Creek Road.  

The sections along Old River Road are near milepost 12, where Stutzke explained the road has experienced ‘complete surface failure.’ 

“The surface has to come up,” Stutzke said. “There’s no patching that could be done, and every day that we let it sit, it becomes worse.”  

Stutzke reported that the two sections total roughly 700 feet and could be repaired for $50,000. However, that money would need to come from a different line item in the public works budget.  

Commissioner Jeff Zimmerman suggested that the county explore a few other options before it moves forward with any plans. One idea that was discussed was to pulverize the existing failed roadway and instead resurface the road with gravel. According to Zimmerman, several other counties have made this decision because they cannot afford to maintain paved roads.  

Old River Road is a Schedule A Road under the United States Forest Service, which means they get to have some say on any maintenance or changes that occur with the roadway.  

Because this road also provides some residential access, the board would like to hear from the public if they have any questions or concerns about potentially moving to a compacted gravel roadway.  

Commissioner Melissa Cowles also voiced some concerns over a lack of proper drainage in the area, potentially accelerating the failure of the roads.  

The third section of road discussed was a 300-foot section of Prichard Creek Road between Murray and the Coeur d’Alene River Road cutoff. Stutzke told the board that the section needed to be replaced quickly due to the high traffic it experiences each year – That project didn’t have an estimate, but Stutzke said it could be paid for using the county’s untouched Road Construction Budget.  

The commissioners agreed with Stutzke’s assessment, but Zimmerman reaffirmed that the cost of paving is only going up and the county is going to have to continue to make difficult decisions concerning its roads.  

“As a county, we’ve got to really look at what we can maintain and what we can’t maintain,” Zimmerman said.  

If anyone has a comment or question for Stutzke or the commissioners, they can be reached by email at jstutzke@co.shoshone.id.us, and bocc@co.shoshone.id.us, or telephone at (208) 752-1264.