Remarkably, Alaska's Richardson Highway seems stable after avalanche and flooding

[Blue_In_AK]

http://www.adn.com/2014/02/01/3302454/dot-richardson-hwy-appears-stable.html

Alaska highway officials said Saturday the process of snow removal from the avalanche-blocked Richardson Highway was progressing well, and the roadbed appears to be in good condition.

The series of massive avalanches 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.

On Friday, when snow removal finally began, crews brought in a device referred to as a "thumper" to check water saturation beneath the road, said Jeremy Woodrow, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. He said the tests showed the roadbed is stable and in good condition.

Officials said Friday it would take between 3 and 5 days to clear the snow, but people shouldn't expect the roadway to re-open immediately, Woodrow said. The road was still closed Saturday between mileposts 12 and 18.

"We're hoping there wasn't any major damage to the road itself," Woodrow said, adding that crews will continue monitoring the road during the removal operations.

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Excellent flyover video from January 29 here. It looks like DOT has some work ahead. The snowplow looks so tiny.


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[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Wow, you're not kidding! The snowplow looks entirely inadequate to the job.

So much snow and ice! The road is completely obliterated...

Good luck to the DOT.

[giftedgirl77]

2. The video is amazing at the link...

That's some serious snow right there, I miss snow.

[hunter]

3. That does not look a 3-5 day job to me...

Maybe there is something easier about ice than mud.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. I think I read they will have five plows on it

24-7, working from both ends. It'll probably go fairly quickly now that the water has dissipated. They were really fortunate that old tunnel was there for the drainage.