Crews Clear One Lane Of Idaho Road Traffic On U.S. Highway 95 Slow As Debris Cleared Away

Idaho road crews opened one lane of U.S. Highway 95 north of Riggins Wednesday, a day after a large rock slide cut off the road.

“There’s still a little bit of debris falling onto the lane that’s closed,” said Bill Dermody, spokesman for the Idaho Transportation Department.

Highway 95 is Idaho’s main north/south road. Dermody said travelers should expect delays, because traffic will have to alternate through the 200-foot stretch of one-lane roadway.

“It’s kind of working like a onelane bridge,” he said. “It’s a bottleneck. But I think we’re talking (a delay of) minutes instead of hours.”

Early Tuesday, an estimated 10,000 cubic yards of rock and soil cascaded off a bluff, covering the roadway. Engineers were reluctant to start work until they felt the rock slide had stabilized.

Road crews began working on the slide about 8 a.m. Wednesday and had the road reopened by 3 p.m. Crews worked into the evening Wednesday, and will take a break early today for Thanksgiving before going back to work this afternoon, he said. Workers will monitor the slide around the clock, in case it starts shifting into the open lane.

State engineers have no idea when both lanes of the road will be open, because some rock still is falling. Some are concerned that the debris removal will trigger more small slides, Dermody said.

The slide stymied hundreds of travelers Tuesday, most of whom apparently took alternate routes through Washington or Montana. A few, determined to wait, camped out near the slide.

Some travelers wouldn’t let the slide stop their plans. Campers reported seeing people getting dropped off on one side of the slide, scampering over it, and waiting on the other side with suitcases to be picked up by friends.

Even with one lane open, Dermody suggested that travelers allow extra time.

, DataTimes