Alaska News

Heavy rain, rising waters force road closures in Prince William Sound region

Heavy rainfall in the Valdez and Cordova areas led the Alaska Department of Transportation to close two roads Sunday. Monday evening, DOT officials said they were still unsure how long the roads would remain closed.

The Copper River Highway out of Cordova was closed at Mile 14, and the Eyak Lake Road was shut down at Mile 2. Water appears to be topping the Copper River Highway at both mile 14 and 23, causing erosion on the surface layer.

Similar issues were occurring on the Richardson Highway east of Valdez. At Mile 32, a plugged culvert caused water to flood the road. Less than a mile from there, the Tsina River seems to be eroding the shoulder of the Richardson.

DOT Northern Region spokeswoman Meadow Bailey said the effects of erosion aren't fixable until water has subsided. Until then, DOT is trying to manually move the water but in certain areas is struggling because, Bailey said, there is nowhere for the water to go.

"This year has been a tough year for maintenance and transportation crews," said Bailey. "They spent a lot of time repairing things that were immediately happening. Normally, they would be filling potholes and clearing brush but this year they were constantly trying to keep water away."

She described this summer as being "unusually wet" across the state. But National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Kutz said that's not the case. September, he said, is a typically wet time of year in Alaska.

NWS meteorologist Bob Clay said Valdez received 4.2 inches of rain from 4 a.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday . During the same period, Cordova was hammered with 8.44 inches.

Kutz said rain will continue falling in the Prince William Sound region this week. DOT said it will reopen the roads when weather allows.

Megan Edge

Megan Edge is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News.

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