America's Byways® Press Room
October 12, 2006 - Floods, Slides Cut Off Two Alaska Towns

VALDEZ (AK) — A punishing onslaught of floodwaters and mudslides has left the Richardson Highway clogged with debris, turning its deep canyons into rushing, waterfall-fed rivers and shutting down the only road to Valdez for a second day, with no fix in sight.

Wicked weather also prompted closure of the lone road to McCarthy. The Copper River Highway out of Cordova also remained impassable. And while the Edgerton Highway stayed open, linking the Richardson to Chitina, officials say it could take a week at least to reopen the Richardson. Streams that once trickled down canyon walls are now massive waterfalls, hammering the road.

Closer to Valdez, a bridge over Mineral Creek on the road into Mineral Creek Canyon was washed out.

Road crews haven’t fully assessed the damage or suggested a price tag. Residents, along with city and state officials, agree that recovery is days, possibly weeks, away.

Northeast of Valdez, McCarthy was cut off Wednesday from car travel. The 61-mile McCarthy Road, which connects the small Wrangell St.-Elias National Park town to Chitina, was closed by major mudslides and washouts.

“I know once DOT resolves some of the more populated areas’ problems out there, they’ll get around to helping us,” said Neil Darish in a phone interview. Darish owns and operates the McCarthy Lodge. “It’s a big deal here. It’s not great for business, that’s for sure. All the snowmelt off the mountains coupled with this rain is overwhelming.”

DOT officials said two major mudslides clogged the road three miles from Chitina. The DOT also reported several other sections of damage:

  • Switchbacks at Mile 5 are swept away
  • A culvert at Mile 14 is gone
  • The approach to Lakina Bridge at Mile 44 is washed out, and the river has changed course

Vicki Snitzler, a park planner for Warngell-St. Elias National Park, said her office was briefed on the road’s condition. She has received more troubling news too: Floodwaters damaged some historic buildings at the Kennecott Mine, which is one of the massive National Park’s prime attractions.

“Everything is still standing,” Snitzler said. “Certainly I could tell that from the photos. But I think the trestle is probably the biggest question mark.”

The trestle is a footbridge to the mine, crossing National Creek. Four potentially harmed buildings abut the creek: the assay building, where miners tested ore samples; the two-story hospital; and two bunkhouses. All of these buildings pre-date the 1950s.

Snitzler and others will fly into the park today to assess the damage.

Farther south near the moutn of the Copper River, Cordova Mayor Tim Joyce declared a local emergency — the second time he’s done so since August because of flooding. Waters haven’t receded enough for people to start repairs, but residents are taking stock of the damage, he said.

“The water level is going to have to drop quite a bit before they can start fixing roads,” Joyce said. “The city airport is still covered in water. Copper River itself has come up a bit. It was incredible seeing some of these bridges, because the water is right up under them.”

The Copper River measured 51.8 feet Wednesday morning, just shy of its record 52.3-foot high. The Copper River Highway stayed closed, cutting off Cordova from its landfill and hydropower plant.

In the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, rising waters Tuesday breached a revetment along Montana Creek that crews had created after August flooding, said the Borough’s Public Information Officer Patty Sullivan.

No homes or other buildings were affected, but portions of Yoder Road, Michele Drive and Romano Avenue east of the Talkeetna Spur Road were washed out or underwater, Sullivan said.

Waters in Montana and Willow Creeks and the Yentna River have receded some and appeared to crest short of flood stage, according to the National Weather Service. In fact, forecasters said conditions across south-central Alaska should improve toward the weekend.

“We’re looking at sunny and mild,” meteorologist Dave Percy told the Associated Press. “It’s looking dry. I promise.”

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