Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Trail Creek smoothed over

$46,000 project will make Trail Creek Road easier to drive

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

With any luck, Trail Creek Road’s reputation for puncturing tires is being deflated this month.

Crews over the last two weeks worked their way over the historic road surface, driving a massive tractor equipped with an attachment that crushes rocks and compacted dirt to reform the road surface with instant, on-site gravel.

Crews are working this month to recycle and re-grade the surface of Trail Creek Road. Express photo by David N. Seelig

In effect, the so-called linear crusher recycles the old road surface, which was strewn with boulders and tire-puncturing rocks.

"That’s our star performer," said Sid Clark, owner of St. Maries-based Roadtech Inc. "It’s a real cost effective process."

The northern Idaho company is contracting for Blaine County on the project, which covers the steep sections of dirt and rock road that climbs to Trail Creek Summit and the Blaine County line. The end result should be a well graded, gravely road that can be easily maintained and will be friendlier to car and truck tires.

"What we try to do is make a maintainable surface," Clark said.

After the linear crusher passes, leaving a row of gravel in its wake, road graders and steamrollers flattened the road surface. Crews graded the material so that water and snow runoff will drain to the uphill side of the road, where drainage pipes will be installed in key locations, Clark said.

Blaine County Road and Bridge Superintendent Dale Shappee said the goal of the $46,000 project is to improve the 2.7 miles of dirt and gravel driving surface.

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