Feds Aid Alaska DOT&PF’s Emergency Work to Reopen, Repair Arctic Dalton Highway

AASHTO Journal, 5 June 2015

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities got some help in its fight to reopen and repair the flooded Dalton Highway leading to North Slope oil fields, with $2 million in Federal Highway Administration emergency relief funds.

“The Dalton Highway is important to transport freight, and Alaska’s economy relies on this vital link,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Greg Nadeau. “These emergency relief funds will help restore the road, and protect the state’s economy.”

That highway is the only road connecting Fairbanks to the North Slope, and carries about 160 to 250 trucks a day, depending on the time of year. The FHWA said the route is important both for freight movement and for Alaska’s tourism industry, since it is situated within a few miles of the Arctic Ocean.

Dalton Highway Dalton Highway.

The flooding began in March when an ice dam caused the Sag River to overflow, closing the highway. AASHTO Journal reported on ADOT&PF efforts to restore limited service in April. The route remained under several feet of ice until temperatures rose in May, the FHWA said, allowing the snow and ice to melt. Gov. Bill Walker issued a disaster declaration for the flooding on May 21.

The federal emergency funds will help pay to repair various types of infrastructure damage, including to pavements, embankments and drainage systems. State officials estimate the total repairs will cost $7 million.

“We’re working closely with the state to ensure repairs are made immediately, because we know communities along this highway are hurt while it is out of commission,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We want to minimize the impact to industries in the area, and get life there back to normal.”

The ADOT&PF announced it had reopened the highway again on June 5, however, it also warned that “the road surface will be rough and narrow through the flood zone” at first.

 

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