Crews in D3 go overtime to
reopen Highway 55 after slide

Idaho Highway 55, closed between Banks and Smiths Ferry (about 15 miles south of Cascade in southwest Idaho) by a landslide since early in the morning April 16, reopened a day later in the afternoon following a massive cleanup effort by crews from all over District 3, who converged on the small section of two-lane road.

The landslide buried a section of the roadway under 15 feet of rock and debris, with huge boulders. No one was hurt when the slide came down.

The route, bordered on one side by steep hillsides and by the Payette River on the other side, is a perennial slide risk this time of year, as soil is loosened due to excess moisture in the air.

The section of ID-55 damaged by the slide was scheduled for repaving at the end of this month because of excessive potholes.

Here is the video of the highway in the immediate aftermath of the slide.

Here are a few news stories about the recent Highway 55 issue, from KTVB Televidsion and from KBOI Television.

 

 

 

 

Published 04-19-19