ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A damaged girder on a bridge over the main highway into Alaska’s largest city will keep inbound lanes closed for up to five days.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced Thursday the highway will remain closed because of concern that a 200,000-pound (90,720-kilogram) girder could fall onto the highway.
Alaska highway officials estimate the cost of repairs will be $1.8 million.
A semi with a load too tall for the bridge struck the structure Wednesday, crushing concrete around the girder. The concrete remains in place but there is no structural integrity, transportation agency spokeswoman Shannon McCarthy said in an announcement.
About 57,000 vehicles use inbound lanes of the highway each day. Many drivers are commuters heading to jobs from northern Anchorage neighborhoods or the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, which includes the cities of Wasilla and Palmer.
The crash occurred at the southern exit to Eagle River, a community of 6,200 that’s part of the Municipality of Anchorage. The bridge over the highway leads to neighborhoods and an entrance onto the highway.
Anchorage police deployed extra officers Thursday to reroute traffic through Eagle River and back onto the highway. Other detour solutions are being reviewed, the highway department said.
Delays for commuters were significant, McCarthy said.
Transportation officials planned emergency repairs that could remove the damaged bridge span and allow the highway to reopen.
Police spokesman MJ Thim says the Department of Transportation will investigate the crash.
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