U.S. Highway 95 remained closed Friday
Officials say closure south of Riggins could be lifted today or perhaps early next week following crash of semitruck hauling liquid propane
RIGGINS — Both lanes of U.S. Highway 95 between New Meadows and Riggins remained closed Friday while a hazardous materials first responders team continues to clean up flammable propane from a semitruck crash site, the Idaho Transportation Department reported Friday.
The propane tanks on the truck ruptured in the crash near milepost 177 about 18 miles south of Riggins on Thursday morning and spilled an unknown quantity of fuel. The truck was carrying between 8,000 gallons and 11,000 gallons of propane, the transportation department reported earlier.
Mark Pfeifer, spokesperson for the department, said the propane was in liquid form and pressurized. Those conditions made it necessary to call in specialists to deal with the contamination. Residents within a 1-mile radius of the crash site were advised of the danger and asked to evacuate.
“This is a developing situation,” said District 3 Field Operations Manager Eric Copeland. “Depending how well recovery of the vehicle and propane goes, the highway could reopen as early as (today) or take until early next week.”
The highway is closed between mileposts 161 and 180. Local access to residences in the area is being provided, but no detour through the crash site exists.
Drivers are advised to find alternative routes, including through Oregon and Washington, if they need to travel between New Meadows and Riggins at this time. Travelers may check 511.idaho.gov for updates.
Idaho’s only north-south highway has occasionally been closed because of rock slides in the Salmon River region, but a nearby bypass route is often available in those situations. This closure is forcing travelers to take a long, out-of-state route in order to reach the northern or southern regions of Idaho.
Another update will be sent this morning, according to ITD.
