Category: North-Central

Repairs to the Idaho Highway 11 slide south of Headquarters will begin Monday, October 4, and last through mid-November.

“Monitoring devices have shown no movement since we installed them in the spring, so we are now able to start work,” Project Manager Erin Buck said.

The highway first sank in April, eventually creating an eight-foot drop off. ITD bored underneath the highway to collect soil samples in May to determine the severity of the issue and identify the best long-term repair.

“We will construct a soil nail wall,” Buck said. “At a high level, this involves boring into the slope and using 40-foot nails to connect the failing material to the stable material.”

One lane of the highway will remain closed, but traffic will guided by temporary signals rather than the yield signs that have been in place.

This type of repair has been used successfully to mitigate other slides in the region, including the 2017 slide at Bear Ridge Grade north of Kendrick on Idaho Highway 3.

Knife River, the contractor that resurfaced seven miles of ID-11 between Grangemont Road and Headquarters earlier this summer, will complete the repairs for $1.1 million.

The Idaho Transportation Department will meet with freight stakeholders across the state this September to collect feedback and update its freight plan.

The Idaho State Freight Plan identifies how ITD will strategically invest state and federal funding in infrastructure to increase the safety, capacity and efficiency of the freight system for the benefit of the Idaho economy.

The document analyzes the needs and issues in Idaho, details policies and strategies to overcome them, identifies critical freight corridors and lists projects to be funded. These projects are supported by approximately $10 million of federal funding each year.

Freight stakeholders utilize infrastructure on a daily basis for basic operations and produce, ship/receive or transport the majority of goods within the state. Such industries include: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, mining, utilities, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade and transportation and warehousing. Those who would like to participate in the process should contact Scott Luekenga at (208) 334-8057 or scott.luekenga@itd.idaho.gov to get details on the available times and locations.

Participants will be guided through a 30-minute survey based on their industry. They are invited to engage in person at the following events:

• Lewiston on Sept. 2
• Blackfoot on Sept. 16
• Twin Falls on Sept. 21

Virtual opportunities will also be accommodated through the end of September. Another round of public comment is expected in spring 2022 to review the updated plan.

After an early heat wave in June and this last week of extreme heat, Idaho Highways 8 and 9 in Latah County are showing stress.

“Oil is flushing up to the surface of both highways, which can make for slick surfaces,” Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said. “We want drivers to show more caution and know that we will continue to use fine sand to blot the moisture and keep the highways safe.”

Sections showing stress include ID-8 near Elk River and ID-9 near the ID-8 junction outside of Deary. Segments of these highways with curves, inclines or intersections where there is also heavy or turning traffic are more likely to be affected.

Over the last week, crews have also removed material to provide a better surface on select sections of ID-9 that received a sealcoat in 2020. Another project will be programmed in the coming years to rehabilitate the driving surface.

Construction on a new northbound passing lane begins Tuesday, June 22 on US-95 near Potlatch. The existing passing lane for southbound drivers at Cove Road will also be extended to provide safer opportunities to pass.

Motorists will have one lane of travel in each direction for most of construction. During initial operations, however, the highway will be reduced to one lane as crews place barrier around their work zone for safety.

Extension of the existing passing lane won’t begin until August.

Work on this mile-long project will be completed this September. The Idaho Transportation Department also plans to add northbound and southbound passing lanes north of Potlatch near Freeze Road and Beplate Lane in 2026.

Repairs that began in May to six miles of Idaho Highway 13 east of Grangeville will pause due to a cement shortage.

“The supplier for this project has informed us that they are facing a shortage of cement,” Resident Engineer Joe Schacher said. “Unfortunately, it may take up to a month for us to receive what we ordered and get back to work on this project.”

Repairs call for the asphalt surface of the highway to be milled, mixed with cement and then reapplied to the highway to form a stronger base. Crews would then finish the project by adding another layer of pavement. This process is known as cement recycled asphalt base stabilization, and it cannot be done properly without the cement.

“As of now, we have done everything we can do with the materials we have,” Schacher said.

To date, crews have replaced approximately 50 drains and milled the surface of the highway.

All lanes of ID-13 will remain open until work can resume, and drivers will travel primarily on a milled and gravel surface at a reduced speed of 30 mph. The contractor and ITD will continue to monitor the work zone to maintain conditions.

At this time, this is the only ITD project thought to be impacted by the shortage. Depending on the length of the delay, construction could be completed by mid-August.

Until it can be finished, ITD urges drivers to take extreme care and slow down while traversing this section of highway.

The slide condition just days after being discovered

The Idaho Transportation Department would like to advise travelers over the holiday weekend of unexpected delays on Idaho Highway 11 near Headquarters. This will impact drivers on their way to popular sites up the North Fork of the Clearwater River and the Grandad Recreation Area.

“Last month we noticed that the shoulder of ID-11 was falling away from the road,” Engineering Manager Bob Schumacher said. “Since then, the northbound lane has sunk further and is now estimated to be an eight-foot drop off.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The northbound lane of ID-11 is closed, with drivers required to yield to southbound traffic. A drill will be on site today and tomorrow to bore below the highway and into the slope. While boring beneath the highway, flaggers will stop all traffic for approximately 15 minutes at a time. Crews will also install monitoring devices to track further movement.

“We will collect soil samples at various depths,” Schumacher said. “We are looking for layers that appear to be saturated so we can determine the severity of the slide.”

Repairs will then be designed and added to a resurfacing project that was already planned for this summer between Grangemont Road and Headquarters. It is unclear at this time how the repairs will affect the timing and budget of the project.

Drivers should continue to expect at least a lane closure in the area and should check 511.idaho.gov for impacts before traveling.