U.S. Highway 95 – Moscow, Idaho

Project Overview

The Idaho Transportation Department planned to construct a 6.5 mile new and improved road alignment of U.S. Route 95 from Thorn Creek in Moscow, Idaho. This would shift the highway less than a mile to the east and expand it from two lanes to four, enhancing safety for all users. The new route improves safety by utilizing flatter grades, fewer approaches, and less severe curves.

McCallum Rock Drilling was subcontracted to provide drilling and blasting services of over one million yards of rock excavation in cuts upwards of 80 feet in depth. Side slopes in the rock excavation area were laid back on a 1:1 slope.

Details

Challenges

We knew water gathering in blast holes would be a factor on this job. Therefore we used pumpable emulsion to not only counter wet ground conditions but also to maximize hole patterns otherwise not attainable with other explosives products. The drilling consisted of three drill rigs to bore holes and one to two blast crews depending on each blast size. Our crew utilized GPS equipment and drone technology to track blast volumes and perform blast hole layout, keeping the drills moving forward uninterrupted. Drone technology was used to record each blast and the videos were utilized for safety, quality control purposes, and multimedia marketing.

Outcome

McCallum is proud to be an integral part of helping to build a new highway in a market area we serve.

Work With Us

We currently operate throughout the Western United States. We perform all applications of drilling and blasting including large-scale commercial quarries, heavy construction, road and highway construction, residential and commercial development, and utility and trenchline work.