Over the next two months specialized crews will target five locations for rockfall mitigation on two highways near Sandpoint, including U.S. Highway 2 to the west and State Highway 200 to the east.
“At each location, crews will scale the slope, which involves wedging and prying loose rock that has the potential to fall onto the highway,” Project Manager Josh Nisson said. “This project is meant to be proactive, reducing the risk of drivers encountering rocks on the road and bringing it down safely on our own terms.”
The locations to be addressed include:
- SH-200 at milepost 41 near Trestle Creek (two sites)
- SH-200 at milepost 53 west of Clark Fork
- US-2 at milepost 11 between Priest River and Laclede (two sites)
“While they are actively scaling and rocks are falling down towards the highway, we will not let drivers travel underneath,” Nisson said. “They’ll do that for about twenty minutes, let waiting traffic pass through, and then temporarily close the highway again.”
Crews will spend less than two weeks at each location. Drivers should plan for these delays while workers are on site, typically Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Otherwise, all lanes will be open.
Signage at each location will be in place roughly one week before work starts, and drivers are encouraged to check 511.idaho.gov for all impacts before they travel.