By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff
The city of Sandpoint closed North Boyer Road at the Sand Creek crossing due to structural concerns over a large culvert beneath the roadway, according to a June 11 press release.
Detour routes around the North Boyer Road closure. Courtesy image
“The closure is effective immediately and necessary to ensure public safety,” City Hall stated.
Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm told the Reader in a phone interview June 17 that the city is not pursuing a disaster declaration, but funding the repair work through an emergency expenditure, which is intended to speed up the work timeline.
Grimm said J-U-B Engineers is on the job, and gave kudos to Bonner County Road and Bridge for their work on the project. He estimated the work would take between six and seven weeks, and cost as much as $300,000, though those details are still being hammered out.
“[T]hat would be the very soonest that we could reopen North Boyer,” he said, noting that interagency jurisdiction is shared with the Idaho Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
According to the city’s press statement, Bonner County alerted Sandpoint officials on June 5 that the culvert may be failing. City crews then checked the culvert on June 6, and did not see any signs of imminent failure.
“However, when crews returned on Monday, June 9, they noted that the condition had deteriorated significantly,” City Hall stated. “At that point, the city planned to implement temporary weight restrictions and continue to monitor the site.”
After a follow-up inspection on June 11, crews found that the culvert’s condition had worsened. At that point, the city exercised “an abundance of caution for public safety,” by closing North Boyer at the Sand Creek crossing, the city stated.
According to Grimm, the issue stemmed from water running under the floor of the culvert, undermining its support.
Meanwhile, traffic is being rerouted to U.S. Highway 95 via Bronx Road and Schweitzer Cutoff Road. Motorists seeking to access Schweitzer Mountain are being asked to use Bronx Road.
“We recognize this closure will be an inconvenience to many, but with the structure actively deteriorating, closing the road was the only responsible course of action to ensure the safety of the public,” city officials stated.
For more information, go to sandpointidaho.gov or contact the Sandpoint Public Works Department at 208-263-3407.
