The huge rock that fell at Lava Hot Springs on June 24.
Lava's massive rock, rest area status,
hands-free law to highlight
board’s July meeting
The July 16 meeting of the Idaho Transportation Board will be held in Pocatello at the Idaho State Police office at 5255 South Fifth Avenue. The meeting will start at 10:30 a.m. to allow more travel time. It will feature an update on the Snake River View Rest Area at the Idaho/Oregon border, a discussion of the state's new hands-free law, and a review of the funding request to mitigate for the rock fall in late June at Lava Hot Springs.
US-30, Lava Hot Springs rock fall
US-30 sits between railroad tracks and the popular Lava Hot Springs Hot Pools in District 5. The highway is about 40 feet from a vertical face that has some rockery wall built in the 1930s to protect some of the vertical face. The rest of the vertical face is exposed.
On June 24, a 1-ton boulder fell from the vertical face and came to rest on the concrete walkway adjacent to the hot pools. The cause of the rock fall was weathering and erosion. ITD crews removed the rock and some loose material from the face and staff recommended placing concrete barriers between the pools and the slope to protect the public.
The rock fall took place on the afternoon of June 24 and the cleanup was on June 25. The McCammon/Downey Maintenance crew took charge of the project with the Soda Springs crew helping out as well. The crew had to break up the five-foot-tall boulder into smaller chunks to haul away.
District 5 will be requesting $1 million to address this rock fall concern. The intent is to use rock fall netting. This would involve drilling top support anchors at the top of the slope which in turn have steel cable anchors to secure the mesh to the top of the slope. The mesh would be draped over the slope face and pinned to the outcrop using anchors and reaction plates. This will preserve the natural shape of the outcrops and would allow for select plantings of the climber type vegetation to cover the draped netting.
Snake River View Rest Area
The I-84, Snake River View Rest Area closed in September 2019 due to sewer conditions. At the February meeting, the board approved proceeding with a $1.25-milion project to repair the facility. At that time, the best option had not been identified, so the board’s approval included authorizing staff to determine the best option.
An update on this project will be provided at Thursday’s meeting.
In coordination with the City of Fruit
land, a feasibility study of potential sewer line options was completed. The municipality is receptive to connecting the rest area into its sewer system, which will benefit it by extending its current sewer main line. Six routes were evaluated and the city and department agreed to pursue one, which will maximize the connection length for the city and minimize the length of pressurized pipe ITD will need to maintain in the future. The two entities will enter into a memorandum of understanding, and the city will take the lead on negotiating with land owners for permanent easements.
The department will provide portable toilets at the rest area to keep the facility open while the permanent fix is completed, which is expected in early 2021. No other services will be available at the rest area in the interim.
Statewide Hands Free Law
On July 1, a statewide hands-free law went into effect. For the first six months, ITD and law enforcement agencies will conduct education campaigns. Only warnings will be issued during this time, along with a palm card that provides information on the new law. Distracted driving is a factor in about one out of every five crashes in Idaho.
ITD’s Office of Highway Safety (OHS) will also provide an update on the Shift campaign, which encourages engaged driving. New personas are being developed for advertising purposes. Efforts to update the website campaign are almost complete. Additionally, OHS is also working on new seat belt rules that Dallas Cowboys star and Riggins native Leighton Vander Esch will be introducing.
Torri Mortenson from the Soda Springs crew and Tyler Hudman from the McCammon crew share rock pieces during the cleanup June 25.
Published 07-10-20