Rock Slide Highway 95 closed north of Pollock, Idaho

[Mopar1973Man]

No one was hurt. But I'm now cut off from Riggins, ID. Maybe a week to clean up according to the rumor.

Edited July 3, 2020 by Mopar1973Man

[JAG1]

Mike, did you take that video? Those poor town folk already having a tough time with all the tourism shut down. It's the only main source of money/ income to that town

 

 

See now you should not have removed your muffler..... look what you caused 

Edited July 4, 2020 by JAG1

[Dieselfuture]

Crazy

[Mopar1973Man]

Sorry @JAG1 was a local trying to get home.

 

Now I'm basically unemployed till I can get to Riggins for most of my jobs. Currently trying to enjoy 4th of July party in about an hour. (Nampa, ID)

[dripley]

We get those up on I 40 between NC and TN every couple years. But most of us dont have to cross the mountain to get what we need. Not sure about the folks living up that way though.

[Mopar1973Man]

Still waiting to get to town. Highway is still closed for the most part. Roughly 1 to 1.5 hour wait to pass through. I just stayed home today.

[Mopar1973Man]

They managed to open up Pollock road for pilot car traffic. Average speed is about 10 to 15 MPH.Takes 2 hours for a round trip to town. Roughly 15 to 25 minute wait to cross back over. Then another 15 to 20 minutes to travel 5 miles. 

 

 

 

 

 

Since the rock slide closed the highway then Idaho is back into shutdown mode with COVID-19 issues.  It's been very rough to get job to come out to my place and most people are feeling the pinch of lack of money. I'm still managing to make a some job work for me. Really slowing down everything. Parts seem to take for ever to get here if mail ordered. I've been adapting to the way things are but it doesn't make it any easier. For me I look and see I've got a bigger audience here on the website than I do locally being tourism is way off. There was no jet boat races (CLOSED), there was no Rodeo Weekend (CLOSED), etc. Looking at 7,2xx members here I'm sure I can sell a few things. 

Edited July 16, 2020 by Mopar1973Man

[Dieselfuture]

That's a lot of rock to move, probably not light and needs special equipment to do. Stick of dynamite maybe 

[Mopar1973Man]

The last rock to come down is quite a bit bigger than 2 cargo containers. ITD is going to wait and see what is going to fall next. Add more to this the area has been hit with a rash of 3.0 and 4.0 earthquakes. I've never felt them but sure help that last rock to slide off. Yesterday I was watching the rock monkeys up there swinging around on ropes. knocking down all the small rocks. 

[JAG1]

On 7/16/2020 at 6:57 AM, Mopar1973Man said:

The last rock to come down is quite a bit bigger than 2 cargo containers. ITD is going to wait and see what is going to fall next. Add more to this the area has been hit with a rash of 3.0 and 4.0 earthquakes. I've never felt them but sure help that last rock to slide off. Yesterday I was watching the rock monkeys up there swinging around on ropes. knocking down all the small rocks. 

Amazing..... I would like watching that. It's going to be a while using a hydraulic splitter to get them to movable size.

[Mopar1973Man]

Nothing is being done currently for clean up. ITD still saying its not safe to get under the slide to even clean up. Still a wait and see process.

 

Quote

Between Ranny Road and Pollock Road (3 to 7 miles south of the Riggins area). The road is closed. There's been a rock fall. Truck restrictions are in force. There is a weight limit in effect. There is a width limit in effect. Expect delays.

Comment: US 95 is currently closed from milepost 186 to milepost 190, which is approximately 2.5 miles north of Pollock to 1.5 miles south of Pollock. There is a local detour in place from 5:00AM PDT until 8:00PM PDT (6:00AM MDT until 9:00PM MDT) until further notice. Alternating one way traffic on a gravel road. Expect delays of up to 30 minutes. Legal loads are allowed (Legal axle and vehicle weights to a maximum of 129,000 lbs, 8ft 6in width). Operation under an annual special oversize/overweight permit will not be allowed.

 

Last updated Today at 9:41 AM MDT

 

[01cummins4ever]

The way we do it in Colorado 

 

Here is a video and a few pics I took of a rock removal I was involved in last year, 

 

two rocks (house size each)  came from about 1000 ft. Upslope ,one made it across the road, leaving a 30’ wide by 15’ deep crater in the road, that rock is still there, the one blocking the road had to be mitigated.

There was talk about building a new road to wind around it but option one was chosen 

3 day s and we had the road open to one way, Rocks fell at 4:00 pm on a Friday and had debris stacked and road cleared and open to one way by 2:00 pm on Memorial Day, That included having to get clearance to work on private property, Rock scaling crew, geologist and state engineers and the works.

 

 

 

 

[Mopar1973Man]

Just got word that since there is no new rock movement they plan on blasting the massive rocks and the remaining hillside that is hanging.

[Mopar1973Man]

I've got to roll into town today for a job... I'll grab my camera and shot a few photos. 

Take a look at the containers these are shipping containers that were shoved out from the large rock fall. Give new perspective of the size of the rocks vs a normal semi-truck container. You see the temporary dirt road below, the highway is more inward towards the hillside barely see the south bound lane shoulder. 

[01cummins4ever]

Looks like that one going to be a slow process, hopefully they put a good drilling and blasting crew on, 

[Mopar1973Man]

Rolled through today and grab a few photos but only one is worth a darn... Look at that cargo container...

 

 

[JAG1]

Nice photos and very interesting. You can see a smooth straight downslope of the newly exposed rock face. No wonder it gave way as the rock cleavage was sloped downward. I am glad no one was caught in that slide.

[Mopar1973Man]

Then the 10 to 12 earthquakes didn't help either. Mostly based out of Stanley ID area. Ranging 3.0 to 4.0 magnitude. Then is slid out and crushed that steel container like a plastic toy. 

[Dieselfuture]

Crazy.... nature will win no matter what