Idaho Transportation Department officials plan to reopen Idaho Highway 21 on Sept. 20 following closures due to the Wapiti Fire. This photo depicts Idaho Highway 21 from Lowman. (Courtesy of Wapiti Fire InciWeb System/Great Basin Team 7)
Idaho Transportation Department officials plan to reopen a section of Idaho Highway 21 between Loman and Stanley on Friday morning that has been closed for a month due to the Wapiti Fire.
Plans call for Idaho Transportation Department crews to reopen Idaho Highway 21 at 8 a.m. Friday, transportation officials said in a news release. Once the highway reopens, drivers can expect to encounter lower speed limits and will be asked to observe instructions from flaggers working on the highway and follow pilot car escorts through burn areas. Drivers may see damage to the highway itself, burned guardrails and scorched or eroded roadsides.
“ITD crews continue to work alongside emergency contractors to address the significant damage caused by the Wapiti Fire,” Idaho Transportation Department officials said in a news release. “This work includes clearing ditches, hauling materials to rebuild eroded hillsides, removing hundreds of hazardous trees and replacing damaged guardrail. Once completed, steel guardrails that meet new modern standards will replace the burnt wooden rails.”
ITD officials urged the public to avoid unnecessary trips along Idaho Highway 21 and warned people not to stop along the highway, particularly in burned areas.
Idaho Transportation Department officials first closed Idaho Highway 21 in both directions on Aug. 20 due to the Wapiti Fire, which started near Grandjean. The Wapiti Fire started by lightning July 24, and grew aggressively in the Boise and Sawtooth national forest as the fire spread toward the town of Stanley and along the Idaho Highway 21 corridor, reaching 125,000 acres. However, recent rains and cooler temperatures provided relief, and containment of the Wapiti Fire was estimated at 72% on Thursday.
For the latest information about highway conditions and closures, visit the Idaho Transportation Department’s website 511.Idaho.gov.
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