11/3/2020
Megan Jahns
ITD Communication
208-772-1295
megan.jahns@itd.idaho.gov
UPDATED: Closure expected this week on Old Pollock Road as part of US-95 slide repairs
UPDATE: The contractor expanded the hours of the closure. A complete closure, day and night, is expected from Wednesday morning through Friday afternoon.
RIGGINS—Daytime closures are expected this week on Old Pollock Road as crews enter the final phases of long-term repairs to US-95 south of Riggins after a landslide first closed the highway July 3.
Old Pollock Road served as a detour during the initial response to the slide.
“The county road had been closed since 2016 due to its own landslide, so in order to turn it into a viable detour, we had to widen it and improve the driving surface by adding gravel,” Materials Engineer Janet Zarate said. “Now that repairs to the US-95 slide are nearly over and we no longer need an alternate route, we need to take some of the weight off the slide area on Old Pollock Road by removing most of what we added, as well as address distressed pavement.”
Daytime closures are planned for Wednesday, Thursday and most of Friday this week. Drivers should pay attention to digital signs in the area for the exact times, as the schedule is expected to vary.
“Once we’re done, there will be sections of new pavement, but drivers should expect a gravel surface and dip in the road across the old landslide area,” Zarate said.
Work also continues on the US-95 slide, with cable netting expected to be laid over the face of the slope the second week of November. A helicopter will be used to hold the netting above the slope as crews attach it to bolts that have already been embedded in the slope.
Helicopter activity is expected for at least two days, during which drivers should plan for 20-minute delays.
Once the netting is secured, crews will finish installing fencing at the base of the slide and repave the highway. Repairs are expected to be complete by Thanksgiving.