Work to repair damage from a landslide on U.S. 95 between New Meadows and Council will begin on Monday, and with it a complete closure of the roadway, the Idaho Transportation Department announced today.
The closure is set to begin on Sunday night at 8 p.m. and will not be lifted until repairs are completed in late April or early May, according to ITD.
There are no local detours around the closure zone due to heavy snowpack remaining in the mountains.
“ITD is working with emergency responders to ensure uninterrupted service for all areas,” the agency said in a news release. “ITD is also working with local jurisdictions to identify potential alternatives for local workers to get past the US-95 closure.”
Retaining wall to stabilize roadway
Repairs will begin by digging about 10 feet down along a 200-foot-long section of the roadway that was damaged by the landslide on March 16 just north of the northern outlet of the Fruitvale Glendale Road.
Crews will then drive steel piles into stable rock to support a retaining wall that will be built to support the roadway.
The roadway was damaged on March 16 when steady rains and warm temperatures led to a steep bank along the Weiser River sliding away from beneath the roadway, causing asphalt to crumble away with it.
Days later, ITD re-opened one lane of the roadway to passenger cars between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Those hours will continue through Sunday night.
Commercial traffic, including semi-trucks, will continue being detoured onto Idaho 55 for the duration of the closure, ITD said.
Idaho 55 is normally closed to most semi-trucks due to “narrow and winding” conditions, including at the Rainbow Bridge south of Cascade, where truck drivers have been instructed to slow down or stop to yield to oncoming traffic on the bridge.
