The Idaho Transportation Department has declared State Highway 5 a "total loss." The road between Plummer and St. Maries will remain closed for an indefinite period of time while authorities work to determine how to fix it.
Jerry Wilson with the department says the problem is at mile-marker 5.9, where about 250 feet of roadway in both lanes have been destroyed by a landslide.
“It’s not passable,” Wilson told KHQ.
They hope to put in a one-lane detour at the site of the slide, but the timetable for repairs is up in the air, as the hillside continues slipping about 2 feet a day.
Wilson says they hope to get a better handle on the problem Monday.
Alternative routes around the slide include State Route 3 and State Route 6.
(story: Lexi Perry, Producer, KHQ.com; photo: KHQ.com)