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.