US 12 east of Kooskia now open under reduced avalanche risk

KOOSKIA-Several miles of U.S. Highway 12 east of Kooskia are now open.

No avalanches reached the highway during the closure.

The gates at Fish Creek (milepost 126) and Saddle Camp Road (milepost 139) closed Monday afternoon. Avalanche specialists with Idaho Transportation Department were on site Wednesday to help local maintenance crews assess conditions and check the closure.

"The risk is no longer considerable and nothing came down, so we can safely reopen the highway," Operations Engineer Jared Hopkins said.

The last avalanche to reach the highway was in January. A major storm triggered an avalanche and dropped trees, closing US-12 for roughly four days.

Drivers should use 511.idaho.gov to stay updated on all road conditions.