Long-term repairs to the US-95 slide south of Riggins are complete. See Numbered Highways with Cameras Drivers should expect continued follow-up blasts as geotechnical experts scale and reassess the slope. Closed road from E Front St to W Tolas Pl. RELATED: Crashes, icy conditions close I-84 in eastern Oregon. Be ready for patchy fog. US 95 Idaho Conditions; US 95 Oregon Conditions; Weather on US 95 Nevada 46° F (Clear) “Blasting in some form will likely occur,” stated Hopkins. To ensure the long-term stability of the slope, ITD has hired WHPacific to design a mitigation plan that will include controlled blasting. “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. The Idaho Transportation Department began work Tuesday to upgrade a section of Idaho 55 marked by its narrow roadway and steep embankments, meaning road closures … This blast is the first of two planned to remove material from the slope. At present, there is no estimated time for reopening of the highway. “The extensive rock fall that occurred last night confirmed that we had made the right decision to completely close that portion of US-95 to traffic,” Hopkins said. At night, flaggers will shift from their current positions closer to the slide to maintain the closure on Old Pollock Road so it may remain viable for future use as a detour. “It’s very important that we maintain the integrity of Old Pollock Road so that it can continue to serve as a viable option for detouring traffic during this time,” Hopkins said. Crews will continue breaking down rocks and pushing them up against the existing berm to make it taller and provide more room for any further debris. The complete closure on Friday is expected to last just one hour, and after the blast, traffic will be allowed to travel through the area on Old Pollock Road. Start using it NOW & give us feedback. The detour will remain closed at night as crews perform maintenance operations on the roadway, which typically does not see this amount of traffic. US 95: Rush hour traffic. “In just a few short months, we will have built something that will protect drivers below for decades,” Zarate said. Additional maintenance operations occurred over the weekend in order for traffic to begin utilizing the road Monday morning. “This is a one-lane gravel road that is nearly four miles long,” Hopkins said. For updated road conditions, go to Idaho511 or download the free app. “We have worked with our geotechnical experts to establish a monitoring and lighting system that allows us to continually observe and survey the slope,” Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said. The closure starts at milepost 161 to milepost 188, New Meadows to five miles south of … “We need to give the slope time to stabilize,” Hopkins explained. “The inconvenience of delays in the coming days will help keep travelers safe and prevent long-term delays in the future.”. “For the time being, motorists should plan for congestion and expect the highway to be closed at night when we can’t monitor the slope,” Hopkins said. High winds and blowing snow were reported on the highway. Last Friday, both US-95 and Old Pollock Road were closed for half an hour while crews detonated 6,000 pounds of explosives, removing 14,000 cubic yards of unstable material from the slope. The final repairs to mitigate the slope failure are scheduled to be awarded on July 30. For COVID-19 news in Idaho, please visit coronavirus.idaho.gov For how it relates to rest areas, go to Idaho Rest Areas. To preserve the route for future use as a detour, Old Pollock Road will continue to be posted for local traffic only. After blasting, long-term repairs will include reinforcing the remaining slope with bolts and wire fencing. The temporary road built around the base has been blocked by massive boulders since the slope failed for a second time last week but may be open in time for next weekend. Watch a video of the various stages of repairs. This is part of the long-term repairs, which will involve controlled blasting and reinforcing the rock face, that are planned for completion in late October. Cloudy skies. The failing slope above milepost 188 has disrupted traffic on the state’s primary north-south route since it first fell July 3 and then again on July 10. - … “That could take up to a week, during which we will need to keep traffic on Old Pollock Road.”. More information will be released when a final date is set. 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