Temporary route opens for Idaho 5

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A temporary road for Idaho 5 will open early Wednesday morning.

The temporary route east of Plummer and west of St. Maries will open earlier than expected to give motorists a detour around a section of Idaho 5 that was recently decimated by moisture and mud slides.

The new 500-foot-long route will have temporary signals at each end of the route to guide traffic. A solid concrete guardrail will be used to safeguard drivers.

Crews started work on the new route last Thursday, placing a rock base, rolling it to compact the base, and placing a layer of top fill gravel and dirt.

The new route will remain in place during construction on Idaho 5 over the next few months.

More in-depth construction will likely last through mid-summer, but will not begin until geologists have made an assessment of the area.

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