LEWISTON, Idaho - Work to repair numerous road washouts and damage caused by severe spring storms continues on the Eagle Creek Road in Nez Perce County. In addition to the storm repair work, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is administering an active road reconstruction and improvement contract on the road. To facilitate the planned construction work, the BLM issued a temporary closure order restricting public travel on weekdays. However, extensive storm damage and severe washouts made the road completely impassable in multiple locations, forcing a full closure of the roadway for the public’s safety. Until repairs to the road are sufficient to safely facilitate vehicle travel, the road remains unavailable.
The BLM anticipates re-opening the road to weekend traffic only (after 5 p.m. Fridays until 8 a.m. Mondays, depending upon the contractor’s work schedule) sometime in September. The previously planned maintenance and improvement work is expected to last through mid-November, so public use of the road will be unavailable on weekdays. This partial temporary closure will allow the contractor to work safely and efficiently along the narrow roadway.
Notifications regarding re-opening of the road for weekend traffic will be posted on site, through BLM Idaho social media or by contacting the Cottonwood Field Office at 208-962-3245.
“We recognize the inconvenience to those wishing to use the Eagle Creek Road, however interruptions to the contractor’s efforts by those violating the closure order only delays progress of the repair work," stated BLM’s Cottonwood Field Manager Richard White. “We look forward to providing safe and dependable access to public lands in the Eagle Creek drainage once repairs and improvement work on the road is completed."
Individuals violating the temporary closure order not only inhibit the contractor’s ability to work and complete the repairs in a timely manner but are also subject to citations and fines per 18 U.S.C. 3571, 43 U.S.C. 1733(a) and 43 CFR 8360.0-7. For specific information regarding the temporary closure, please visit: https://bit.ly/440cmw0
Source: Bureau of Land Management