RIGGINS, Idaho — Over the past week, crews were able to drill and blast some of the large boulders that kept the temporary road around the base of the slide on the US-95 south of Riggins. The road has been closed since July 10. After the explosions, the route may reopen as early as July 27.
“Now that the boulders are of manageable size, we will focus on clearing the detour around the base of the slide while continuing to monitor the stability of the slope,” Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said. “We are still determining what the highway will look like when it reopens, but drivers should be prepared for flaggers and reduced lanes and hours.”
The final repairs to reduce slop failure are scheduled to be finished on July 30. After that, the contractor will be asked to mobilize within 48 hours. Old Pollock Road will continue to be monitored and maintained for possible use as a detour in the future.
The Idaho Transportation Department will send an update once the opening of US-95 is confirmed.
