Landslide repairs estimated to take a month to complete on Hwy. 95 north of Council

Residents from Weiser to north of Council should expect to see a lot less thru-traffic on Highway 95 after the Idaho Transportation Department fully closed a section of US-95 between Glendale and Pine Ridge on Monday, March 31. Repairs began that day to the highway as a result of a major landslide that collapsed the highway in an area between Council and New Meadows almost two weeks earlier.

In a press release dated March 28, ITD said the contractor would be working two shifts per day to expedite the repairs and minimize the heavily used north-south artery’s closure time.

Beginning Sunday evening the highway was fully closed to all vehicle traffic due to the oversized drill rig crane taking up both lanes. Crews began relocating fiber optic lines on Monday, with plans to start excavation on Tuesday for the installation of a retaining wall. The excavation will involve removing 200 feet of pavement and digging to a depth of 10 feet across a 200-foot-long section of roadway, ITD stated. This work is scheduled to be complete by late April or early May.

ITD said it had considered all potential detour options in the area, but determined there are no local routes capable of handling the diverted heavy traffic due to early-season conditions and challenging terrain. ITD did recently clear snow from the Weiser River Trail to serve as a bypass for local pedestrians and emergency responders.

The trail provides a direct route around the closure, ITD said, and designated parking on US-95 will be available on both the north and south sides of the landslide to ensure residents and emergency personnel can navigate the area safely.

The report goes on saying ITD has modified commercial vehicle permits, allowing 53-foot single trailers to temporarily use State Highway 55 as a detour. This modification ensures that rural communities continue to receive deliveries of goods and services during the closure. ITD is coordinating all work on SH-55, which serves as the detour route for regional traffic. Maintenance projects that were slated to begin this spring will be postponed until US-95 is reopened.