3/28/2017
New temporary road for Idaho 5 opens early, before tomorrow’s morning commute
COEUR d'ALENE - Completing a new temporary route east of Plummer and west of St. Maries earlier than expected, the Idaho Transportation Department will give motorists a detour around a section of Idaho State Highway 5 recently decimated by moisture under the road and slides.
The new 500-foot-long route will open in time for the morning commute tomorrow (Wednesday, March 29), with temporary signals at each end of the route guiding traffic. A solid concrete guardrail will be placed on the edge to safeguard drivers.
Work on the temporary route began last Thursday. Crews placed a rock base, rolled it to compact the base, and placed a layer of top fill gravel and dirt today.
The temporary route will remain in place as Idaho 5 is rebuilt over the next several months. The larger reconstruction will likely last through mid-summer, but will not begin until geologists make a determination on the stability of the road area.