Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
State contractors working to repair rain damaged sections of the Taylor Highway between Chicken and Eagle for two months, are making progress. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Meadow Bailey says work on slides and washouts on the 30 miles between Chicken and the Top of the World Highway Junction is nearing completion.
Bailey says the state plans to work into the winter to get the next 60 miles, to Eagle fixed. That stretch has been closed except for a few vehicle convoys earlier this month. Bailey says the state will provide additional opportunities to drive in and out of the Yukon River community beginning September 26.
The convoys are scheduled to allow Eagle residents a chance to make road trips to Fairbanks and Anchorage. Ann Millard of Eagle says locals have a lot to do in town, including getting supplies for winter.
Millard says fuel will also be trucked into Eagle during the convoys. The Taylor Highway is not maintained in the winter and the road is usually closed by ice and snow around mid October. The D.O.T.’s Bailey says the agency is seeking funding for snow removal to allow travel at least through October.
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