Rock slides along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage have prompted intermittent lane closures since Wednesday night, when wind and rain hammered the area.
Slides between Mile 108 and 109 of the Seward Highway, just south of Beluga Point, temporarily closed one lane of traffic Friday morning while maintenance crews from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities cleared the highway, according to DOT.
A rock slide Thursday was a factor in a crash that closed a lane of traffic that evening; slides were reported starting Wednesday night.
Whew! Another rock slide at MP 108.5 Nov 28 Rock Slide MP 109 Seward Highway; Nov 27
Posted by AKSSD Alaska Solstice Search Dogs on Thursday, November 28, 2019
“We have been concerned about this section of road for a while,” DOT spokeswoman Shannon McCarthy said, adding that high winds and heavy rain can precede some rockfall.
Next summer, DOT will begin “scaling” — removing lose and dangerous rocks from the slope — and putting up nets along the Seward Highway near Miles 104 through 114, McCarthy said.
DOT urged drivers to use caution when driving along that section of the Seward Highway and to watch for additional slides.
For the latest traffic updates, check Alaska 511.
Rockfall on SEWARD HIGHWAY from MILEPOST 104 to MILEPOST 114
— Alaska 511 (@alaska511) November 29, 2019
Road open to traffic, use caution when traveling through this area.
Comments:
Falling rock.