9/14/2015
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
Replacement of collapsed culvert on Idaho 6 to begin Sept. 24
LEWISTON - Replacement of a collapsed culvert on Idaho 6 north of Harvard at the beginning of the Palouse River Bridge, postponed last month due to fire, is slated to begin Sept. 24. A three-day, full closure will follow over the weekend, from Sept. 25-27. This work enables local commerce, as it is a major trucking route for forest products being hauled to local and regional lumber and paper mills.
"Our Moscow/Potlatch Maintenance crews have been keeping an eye on this culvert for several years," explained ITD's north-central Idaho TSEA (Transportation Staff Engineering Asst.) in Operations, Roy Hill. "The band joining the culvert sections together has failed, which allowed water to exit the pipe at the failed band. The water exiting the pipe eroded the bedding material below the pipe, which in turn caused the failure of the pipe."
The culvert replacement, at milepost 13.1, will completely close the road to all through traffic. Idaho 3 will be the detour. Crews will replace the culvert with a heavier-gauge material pipe and
coupler to aid in its resistance to corrosion from the acidic quality of the surrounding area's soils. It will take four couplers for the 100-foot-long culvert.
Click here for map of specific location.
Click here for an inside photo of the collapsed culvert.
Crews will remove guardrail starting at 6 a.m. Pacific time Sept. 24 with flaggers, and a single-lane closure. Drivers can expect delays of up to 15 minutes during the guardrail work.
The full closure will begin at 1 a.m. Friday, Sept. 25, and extend to 1 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28.
Beginning Monday, there may be one lane of traffic with flaggers, and possible 15-minute delays once the replacement is complete.
The Idaho Transportation Department asks drivers to find alternate routes around the work area to allow timely and expedient project completion.