ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska Department of Transportation officials say Richardson Highway appears to be in good condition following a series of massive avalanches and subsequent flooding.
The avalanches struck on Jan. 24 dammed the Lowe River in Keystone Canyon near mile 12, creating a lake that delayed crews’ access to the area for a week.
Transportation spokesman Jeremy Woodrow says crews brought in a device referred to as a “thumper” to check water saturation beneath the road on Friday after snow removal began. He says the tests showed the roadbed is stable and in good condition.
Woodrow says they expect snow clean up to take between three and five days, but cautioned the road wouldn’t open immediately after that.
Richardson Highway is the only road connecting to Valdez. The city has been cut off for more than a week.
Snow was piled more than 40 feet high on up to 1,500 feet of the highway.
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Information from: Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News, https://www.adn.com
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