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U.S. Highway 2 sinks seven feet

SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) — Heavy rain in northern Idaho has caused a stretch of U.S. Highway 2 to sink as much as 7 feet in places.

State and county transportation crews were working around the clock to save the stretch of highway, but water runoff that eroded the embankment is causing even more problems.

To repair the roadway, crews need to replace a pair of 48-inch culverts that direct water underneath the pavement. The culverts were overloaded by heavy runoff, which saturated the surrounding 20-foot embankment and caused the highway to give way.

“Crews will be working 24/7 until we get this done,” said Barbara Babic, a spokesperson for the State Transportation Department.

Interstate Concrete & Asphalt was hired to stabilize the road and install the culverts.

Babic had no idea when the repairs would be completed, but said the highway, which connects Spokane, Wash., and Sandpoint, would definitely remain closed through the weekend.