U.S. 26 slope maintenance to deter slides begins tomorrow
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The following is a news release from the Idaho Transportation Department.
RIGBY – Slope maintenance to harness future rock slides and improve highway safety along U.S. 26 between Palisades Dam and Big Elk Creek will begin Monday. The project is scheduled for completion Sept. 29, weather permitting.
A four-man team of professional rock scalers will repel down rocky slopes above the highway to dislodge loose rock and drape selected rock faces with wire mesh, designed to prevent rock slides from reaching the road. Crews also will fell unstable trees and plant native grasses to deter erosion on the mountainside. The Idaho Transportation Department conducts slope stabilization each year.
Crews will work from approximately 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The project is scheduled on U.S. 26 southeast of Swan Valley between mileposts 388 and 392.
Motorists can expect delays of up to 20 minutes. Travel will be reduced to one lane.
Commercial drivers transporting permitted loads wider than 12 feet need to contact Maintenance Operations Manager Jesse Barrus (208-745-7781) 24 hours in advance for special authorization to pass through the construction zone.
Motorists should watch for rock on the road and for construction equipment along the highway.