Idaho’s Pack River Road Work Gets “Stimulus” Boost
Date: Nov 6, 2009
Contact: Sandpoint Ranger District (208) 263-5111
Idaho Panhandle National Forest officials have announced completion of improvements to Pack River Road (Forest Road #231) from the national forest boundary to Harrison Lake Trailhead.
“These road upgrades have significantly improved access into the Pack River drainage,” said Dick Kramer, Sandpoint District Ranger. Kramer said that the Pack River Road in Boundary County – formerly limited to high clearance vehicles – provides access to numerous high mountain lakes that are popular destinations for forest visitors, and that improvements will provide smoother and more stable road access into the east side of the Selkirk Mountain Range.
Kramer said that several funding sources including American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds were used to do the work. Kramer said that most work was completed in mid-October 2009, with final work to be completed during the summer of 2010.
Road improvements included removal of boulders in the roadway; upgrading some segments to an aggregate surface; installation of new drainage structures; and a new trail bridge accessing Beehive Trail #279. Clint Kimball Company of Naples, Idaho, was the contractor for the improvement work.
“The Pack River Road will be easier to maintain now,” said Diane Hodel, Idaho Panhandle National Forests road manager. “Public access is much improved and the river’s water quality will be greatly enhanced due to additional drainage and erosion control improvements.”
For additional information on Pack River Road work, please contact the Sandpoint Ranger District office at (208) 263-5111.
