Deep Creek Loop continues to deteriorate |
March 30, 2017 |
There is still no estimate as to when Deep Creek
Loop, closed since March 22, will reopen, as the
roadway continues to shift, slough and slide,
and everyone, including pedestrians who have
been walking in to take pictures and video, is
reminded to obey the barricades that are there
for public safety. Conditions on other roads in
the county that have been closed or restricted
due to wet weather remain static.
"There is still a lot of activity, with the road
moving more every day, and we can't be sure yet
how far it will go or when it will stabilize
enough to begin work," said Boundary County Road
and Bridge Supervisor Renee Nelson. "We are
asking that everyone stay off the barricaded
section for your own safety. There is still a
lot of water."
According to Nelson, federal funding is in the
pipeline, and engineers have been studying and
monitoring the erosion of the roadbed, but until
things dry out, there is little that can safely
be done.
"We know it's a long way around and it's an
inconvenience, but at this point, all we can
really do is wait for conditions to improve,"
Nelson said.
Road and Bridge crews have been working to keep
Lookout View Road open, and the roadway has been
drying out, but road conditions throughout the
county remain volatile, with crews constantly
being called upon to handle minor slides and
sloughing around the county.
There has also been no change in plans as far as
reopening both lanes of Highway 95 at the slide
site at Mountain Meadows Road near mile 498, as
that slope is also still moving, and oozing down
into the roadway, where all Idaho Transportation
Department workers can do is keep scooping it
away and hope the hillside starts drying out.
Traffic remains at one lane only, with flaggers
on hand around the clock to alternate traffic
through the area.
Other county road issues remain static as well;
Paradise Valley Loop is still down to one lane
just north of Alfalfa Lane, Kootenai Trail Road
remains closed in the bottom between Pinnacle
Circle and Cow Creek Road, Oxford Road remains
closed at the corner south of Usher Lane,
Fleming Creek Road remains closed on the hill,
and Turner Hill Road remains closed where it
crosses Rock Creek. |
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