What you need to know:
- Floodwaters along the Old Glenn Highway in Butte continued to slowly recede. Monday as state crews cleared a path, built an access road and prepared to repair a broken revetment along the Matanuska River to stop the flow of water.
- About 3,000 tons of gravel are being used to construct the road. Crews will repair the revetment with large rock known as riprap.
- A National Weather Service flood advisory for the area remains in effect through Wednesday night.
BUTTE — Floodwaters along the Old Glenn Highway in Butte continued to slowly recede Monday as state officials worked to repair a revetment along the Matanuska River that was breached under heavy water flow early Saturday.
A National Weather Service flood advisory for the area remains in effect through Wednesday night. About 10 private properties or structures off the Old Glenn Highway between mile 13 and 15 were impacted by the flooding, borough officials said Sunday.
State crews cleared about 300 feet of thick brush and large cottonwood trees from the road and along the river Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, then began laying gravel to build a road for the heavy machinery needed to repair the bank, Alaska Department of Transportation officials said.
Work on the road was expected to be completed late Monday or early Tuesday, they said. Once the road is in place, crews will begin repairing about 100 feet of broken revetment using gravel and large rock known as riprap, they said. That fix will block the incoming flow of water, they said.
An estimated 3,000 tons of gravel will be used to build the road for the repairs, construction officials said Monday afternoon.
The amount of rock needed to repair the revetment along the riverbank was not yet known because the damaged area remains underwater, state transportation officials said Sunday.
Matanuska Electric Association trucks remained in place Monday to reinforce poles sitting in the flooded area against the road.
The decades-old revetment and an informal levee created by Maud Road were overwhelmed early Saturday by the melt-swollen river, borough officials said. The rate of water flowing down the river is forecast to drop slightly under cooler weather this week, according to the National Weather Service.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com
