10/29/2015
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
ITD advising north-central Idaho drivers to watch for rocks, debris
LEWISTON - With heavy rainfall predicted this weekend, the Idaho Transportation Department is advising motorists in north-central Idaho to watch for rocks and debris on the roadway. The materials may also tumble from hillsides ravaged this summer and early fall by wildfire in the region, which burned off the vegetation that usually anchors rocks and debris to the hillside.
“ITD is advising caution, especially when driving through areas of U.S. 12 that have been recently burned by wildfires,” said ITD District 2 Traffic Engineer Jared Hopkins. “The addition of moisture in the winter months, in combination with the burned undergrowth, has the potential to loosen rocks, logs and other debris that finds its way onto roads.”
The department is responsible for more than 1,500 lane miles of highway in the north-central Idaho region, many of which are bordered by hillsides that could deposit rocks and other debris on the highway.