Mudslide forces family of 5 off highway

BONNERS FERRY — Tuesday night, a hill broke loose at U.S. Highway 95 at MP 498, just south of Mountain Meadows Road causing a vehicle to roll down an embankment.

According to Boundary County Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Jarrell, the woman was traveling northbound with her four children when she reportedly hit a patch of mud and began to swerve. At that moment, the hillside broke loose, and the mud flow pushed her and her four children off of the highway. The vehicle rolled down the west bank. No injuries had been reported as of Tuesday night.

South Boundary Fire Protection District, the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho Transportation Department, Road and Bridge, Boundary Ambulance, Idaho State Communications, and the Boundary County Emergency Manager Michael Meier were on scene.

According to Meier, the vehicle was towed out of the ditch and crews were in the process of clearing the highway.

Meier confirmed that both lanes of traffic were covered with 8 to 10 feet of mud and debris, and the area was impassable.

“ITD is setting up equipment to clear mud and debris off of the west lane of the highway in order to get traffic moving,” Meier said, “It is wet, the rain is coming down really hard, and it’s slick out here. We are concerned about the stability of the hillside and we are not sure if it’s going to slide anymore.”

According to Boundary County Sheriff David Kramer, northbound traffic was stopped in Sandpoint, and directed to an alternative route through Montana. Southbound traffic was delayed north of the mudslide.

Both northbound and southbound traffic were blocked until Wednesday at 6:02 a.m when ITD opened one lane of traffic on U.S. Highway 95.

Deep Creek Loop was closed Wednesday due to a significant “split” in the road near the 1 mile marker, around the overpass area, according to Boundary County Road and Bridge.

Buses did not pick up children along the Deep Creek Loop Wednesday, due to the road hazards, according Boundary County School District Bus Barn.

Students living in the Highland Flats and Mountain Meadows areas were picked up, but warned they may be running late. Students were allowed to be dropped off at the Naples Elementary School by 7:20 a.m., in order to be bussed to Bonners Ferry schools.

But parents living in the Deep Creek area of concern were advised that the road was not safe and that they should not risk transporting their children to school.

In addition, the hill on U.S. Highway 95 and Ash Street in Bonners Ferry was reportedly unstable Tuesday night and appeared to be in jeopardy of sliding again.

Road and Bridge Superintendent Clint Kimball advised that they are experiencing drainage issues throughout the County consisting mostly of water out of ditches.

Kimball said to not drive into standing water on the roads, as the depth is difficult to determine. If you must proceed, drive slowly and stay in the shallow water if possible. Do not try to cross a mudslide on the road, you may become stuck, placing you within the landslide.

Additionally, the Twenty Mile Creek Water Association issued a drinking water advisory notice on March 20 to 20 Mile Creek water members. The water advisory stands until further notice, following depressurization of the water system caused by a water main break.

A planned repair of the broken line was slated to be for Thursday March 23, at 7 am., with service restoration anticipated to resume by early afternoon. The Boil order is still in effect until further notice.

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is encouraging water users to consume bottled water or boil their water for one minute prior to consumption. Patrons will be notified when the advisory has been lifted.

The system serves 98 service connections in the vicinity of Brown Creek Road and Deep Creek Loop.

Staff writer MANDI BATEMAN also contributed to this report.