12/30/2008
Idaho 21 re-opens in both directions between Grandjean Road and the Custer/Boise County Line
BOISE - Idaho 21 has re-opened between Grandjean Road and the Custer/Boise County Line after being shut down in both directions since Sunday afternoon. The Idaho Transportation Department Avalanche Control
Team determined the mountain pass was unstable due to anticipated heavy snowfall and wet conditions, and so closed the highway around 1 pm Sunday. A few hours later, a nine-foot deep avalanche fell onto the road, which ITD crews have now cleared with rotary blowers and snowplows.
"For now, the road looks pretty good," says ITD Regional Engineer, Tom Points. He cautions, however, to keep checking with 511 before heading out of the valley. "That particular stretch of highway is susceptible to avalanches. If at any time we feel the conditions are unsafe, we will close the road."
There are 57 known avalanche slide paths from Grandjean Junction to Banner Summit (MP 93 - 105). Ninety-nine percent of Idaho's avalanches occur between Lowman and Stanley. The popular recreation route and vital transportation link is closed an average of 60 days per year due to unstable conditions which can lead to avalanches.