U.S. Highway 12 east of Kooskia is now open. No avalanches reached the highway during the closure.
The gates at Fish Creek (milepost 126) and Saddle Camp Road (milepost 139) closed Monday afternoon. Avalanche specialists with ITD were on site today to help local maintenance crews assess conditions and check the closure.
“The risk is no longer considerable and nothing came down, so we can safely reopen the highway,” Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said.
Monday, Dec. 26
Several miles of U.S. Highway 12 east of Kooskia will close today at 3 p.m. PT due to considerable avalanche hazard. It is unknown when the road will reopen.
The gates at Fish Creek (milepost 126) and Saddle Camp Road (milepost 139) will close, and ITD crews are working with the U.S. Forest Service to notify any recreationists or drivers within the corridor of the impending closure.
Avalanche specialists with ITD will be on site to help local maintenance crews reassess conditions and reopen the highway. Another release will be sent once a determination to open the road is made.
“The rapid upswing in temperatures in such a short time is concerning,” Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said. “We will keep the road closed until it is safe to reopen. In the meantime, this will mean significant delays for holiday travelers between Idaho and Montana.”
The last avalanche to reach the highway was in January. A major storm triggered an avalanche and dropped trees, closing US-12 for roughly four days.
Download a photo of road signage from last year.
Drivers should use 511.idaho.gov to stay updated on road conditions.