Washout on Dalton Highway causes closure

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - A washout on the Dalton Highway, caused by the Sag River, has damaged the gravel road to a debilitating level causing closures along the only land access route to the North Slope.

The Dalton Highway provides the only road access to the North Slope, but the two lane gravel highway was forced to close when a washout called for emergency repairs above the Arctic Circle. Erosion from the Sag River has caused the Department of Transportation to close off part of the remote highway. The damage from the river water reached the center line of the gravel highway at milepost 403.5, about 500 miles north of Fairbanks.

The damage was reported in the morning on Wednesday, June 7, leading the Department of Transportation (DOT) to haul road material 100 miles north to the section of road that runs parallel to the Sag River. At about 7 p.m., the road was closed to all traffic while the DOT worked to repair and rebuild the section of highway that had been lost. By 1 p.m. on June 8, the road was temporarily reopened to one lane traffic, allowing the vehicles that had been waiting a chance to reach their destinations.

Many of those vehicles are semi-trucks carrying loads of heavy equipment and supplies. All of which is vital for keeping operations on the North Slope running, which in turn is vital to the state economy. Other vehicles could include tourism transportation or small vehicles such as motorcycle and bicycles.

While the DOT has closed the road again to finish repairs, it is unclear when those repairs may be completed. Until the highway is returned to a functional two lane status DOT may reopen one lane traffic passage temporarily. Danielle Tessen, a public information officer with DOT said they will be working diligently to return the highway to its normal operating status due to the importance of the highway’s remote access.

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