Rain caused mudslides are affecting roads in the southeastern Interior. The Alaska Department of Transportation reports that the McCarthy Road was shut down by a slide last night. DOT northern region spokeswoman Caitlyn Frye says the slide near mile 58 was large.
”It’s about 75 feet long and eight feet tall. Our maintenance crews got out there last night at about 11, and worked into the night to get one lane open,” Frye said.
DOT opened the McCarthy Road to two lanes of traffic this afternoon. The mile 58 mudslide has been cleared, but operators are still in the area. The department recommends caution in the area.
Frye says smaller slides and flooding are occurring along the Taylor Highway between mileposts 67 and 160, with the most serious trouble at mile 84.
”The road is eroding by Jack Wade Creek, and they are down to one lane. We’ve got crews out there responding to it,” Frye said.
Frye cautions drivers to wait until conditions improve before travelling the road.
Alaska Public Media’s Wesley Early contributed to this report.
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
