BOISE, Idaho — A massive landslide that blocked both lanes of Idaho 55 since Tuesday morning has been cleared and the road is back open to traffic again.
Idaho Transportation Department spokesman Jake Melder says crews hauled away around 300 truckloads of mud, rocks and debris in the last 34 hours.
The slide happened before 5 a.m. Tuesday about 13 miles north of Horseshoe Bend. The closed area stretched from Banks to Smiths Ferry.
The landslide was estimated to be 15-feet deep at edge of pavement.
It is a stretch of road that ITD is continually monitoring.
"We have been actively monitoring this specific slide for several weeks now," Melder said. "Before this slide today, we removed 400 truckloads of material that has been slowly seeping off of the mountainside already."
Warming temperatures and rain have contributed to unstable slopes, avalanches and mudslides around the area. Melder advises drivers to use caution when driving on mountain highways.
