4/24/2006
Emergency lane reduction on Idaho 34 to continue indefinitely
POCATELLO - The Idaho Transportation Department continues to monitor a slope along Idaho 34, between Soda Springs and Freedom, Wyo., that recently eroded the highway base and prompted the reduction of travel to a single lane.
ITD crews installed drainpipe on the slope above the highway in an effort to intercept surface water and channel it away from the slide. They also widened the highway on the uphill side to provide a driving surface.
The highway was reduced to one lane last week the highly saturated base shifted downhill, causing fissures in a travel lane. Additional geotechnical tests will be required before a permanent repair can be designed. The final repairs likely will involve drainage on the hill above the highway and some rock buttress on the slope below it.
Transportation department officials expect most of the surface runoff to be finished by mid-May, but permanent repairs might not be done until sometime this summer.
During the interim, the lane reduction will remain in effect and the speed limit is reduced to 25 mph in the slide area.
The slide and lane reduction are clearly marked, and motorists should have good visibility of oncoming traffic. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling on the highway, especially at night, and to observe the reduced speed limit.