Disaster declared on Gypsy Bay Road

SAGLE — Bonner County commissioners made a local disaster declaration Friday to hasten work to stabilize Gypsy Bay Road and develop an alternate access route in case the road fails.

“It’s a one-way-in/one-way-out situation,” Road & Bridge Director Gordon Bates told commissioners.

Bates said a 24-inch culvert buried beneath the road failed after it became clogged with woody debris and separated somewhere within the road embankment.

The culvert failure caused a large amount of erosion, which spawned a sinkhole in one of the lanes of travel. Road & Bridge filled the sinkhole with gravel, but Bates said the road is still in danger of failing.

“Mother Nature can defeat our efforts at any time. We could suddenly have further settlement of the fill material, indicating a failure below our efforts to cap that,” said Bates.

Commissioner Glen Bailey asked if the erosion had been halted. Bates said the emergency work has at best slowed the rate of erosion.

Moreover, there is a second 24-inch culvert adjacent to the failed culvert which is also in danger of failing. Bates said the surviving culvert is being monitored closely.

If the road fails completely, access to more than 120 homes would be severed.

Fortunately, Road & Bridge found a way to create an emergency detour route by developing a rudimentary half-mile stretch of road to connect Muskrat Lake and Westwood Heights roads. Additionally, the route is almost entirely located within an existing public right of way, Bates said.

Trees within the right of way were being cleared on Friday and Bates said road fabric and gravel is slated for installation today. The work is being done in-house and is expected to cost about $5,000.

Lasting repairs to Gypsy Bay Road, however, are estimated to cost up to $70,000, Bates said. Bates said it appears that work may have to be done by a contractor.

The declaration enables the county to secure a contractor and materials for the Gypsy Bay Road without having to go through bidding and other processes so the work can be done immediately.