Floodwaters that swamped sections of the Dalton Highway are quickly receding, allowing workers with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to begin repairs to the only road to the oil fields of the North Slope.
Mike Coffey, director of maintenance and operations for DOT, "could barely contain his enthusiasm" when he announced Sunday evening that waters had dropped enough for repair work to begin immediately, according to a release from the department.
Meadow Bailey, a spokeswoman with DOT, said earlier that Sunday was a "turning point," and signs were pointing toward repairs beginning soon.
"Water levels continue to drop dramatically," she said. "We issued the directive to start repair work."
DOT crews have had equipment staged on the northern end of the flooding, around Mile 414, and at the southern end, around Mile 335, she said. They've been collecting rock and dirt that will be used to start rebuilding road. Finding the volume of material necessary to fix the road won't be easy.
"The challenge is going to be getting enough material to make repairs and to get material close to the repair sites," Bailey said.
In the next 24 hours, even more equipment and DOT personnel will arrive and repairs are expected to begin, Bailey said.
DOT has given no timeline yet as to when the road will reopen.
Workers will first build a "fairly rough, one-lane road," to allow high-priority loads through.
After a long spell of watching and waiting as flood waters gouged out chunks of highway, DOT officials are eager to get the process of restoring the road moving.
"I think ecstatic would be a good word," Bailey said.