Field Reports: Part of popular road in North Idaho to close
May 22—From staff reports
A road popular with campers and other recreationists in North Idaho will close for about a month next week.
The Idaho Department of Lands announced Wednesday that about 9 miles of the Aquarius Road between Floodwood Road and Grandad Bridge near Elk River, Idaho, will close.
The closure, which begins Tuesday, will allow crews to rebuild the road and build a 10-foot wall that's meant to keep the road from failing and make travel safer.
The Department of Lands said in a news release that the project should be finished and the road reopened by early July.
An alternate route to reach Grandad Bridge is possible by going through Elk River and using the Elk River Aquarius Road, also known as Diamond Road.
Washington commission OKs land acquisition
State officials last week approved the acqusition of 672 acres in Douglas County.
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Friday to purchase the property and add it to the Central Ferry Canyon unit of the Wells Wildlife Area, a collection of 10,500 acres of public land in Okanogan and Douglas counties.
It's the second piece of a 2,180-acre acqusition for the wildlife area. The first 1,513 acres were purchased in April 2022.
Officials say the additions to the wildlife area will conserve shrubsteppe habitat and help species like mule deer, sharp-tailed grouse and greater sage grouse, among others.
