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All northbound lanes on the Seward Highway at the Tudor Road overpass were closed Friday after state inspectors found the bridge damage more extensive than originally thought, transportation officials said.
One of the bridge girders was damaged after an empty dump truck with its bed raised struck the overpass at around 1 a.m. Thursday, the Department of Transportation said. Shannon McCarthy, a spokeswoman for the department, said the girder was “shattered all the way through.”
“It’s much like the scenario we had on the Glenn Highway,” McCarthy said, referring to an incident in March that stalled traffic in Eagle River for hours in what came to be known as “bridgepocalypse.”
UPDATE: New Seward Highway NB lanes have CLOSED to all thru traffic due to safety concerns of the damaged girder. Please use alternative north/south corridors. This is in the interest safety to the highway users below. We will post more information as this situation develops. pic.twitter.com/RO9HFMfkjs
— Alaska DOT&PF (@AlaskaDOTPF) January 4, 2019
McCarthy said parts of the girder, if not the entire beam, are in danger of falling onto the highway. However, the structural integrity of the bridge has not been compromised, she said. Two eastbound lanes on Tudor are open, but some turns are restricted.
Drivers were advised to find alternate routes.
McCarthy said the newly discovered damage isn’t expected to lengthen the repair time. All northbound lanes on the Seward Highway are expected to open to traffic early next week, the DOT said.
Check back for updates on this developing story.