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Rock slides pester Idaho 75          

Rock slides go with the territory. We're talking about Idaho Highway 75 west of Clayton. The most recent slide, the evening of Nov. 22, brought big rocks down the mountainside at milepost 219.

Rocks broke concrete barrier railing and spilled over into the northbound lane to Challis. No one was injured, and crews from ITD’s Challis and Stanley maintenance sheds were able to clear the debris without closing the road.

The biggest rock filled the 3.5-yard bucket of a large front-end loader, pushing equipment limits.

“Slides torment Idaho 75 year-round, especially when it rains,” said Cody Schmidt, Arco-Mackay-Challis operations foreman. “It’s an ongoing challenge to patrol the route and keep it clean.”

District 6 works with the maintenance crews of District 4 in Stanley to keep Idaho 75 traversable year-round.

Idaho’s mountainous terrain keeps ITD crews on alert throughout the state.

Pictured: Robert Taylor, Challis maintenance, removes large rock from slide scene.

Published 12-08-17