After a flood late last week, a stretch of Richardson Highway has been closed after heavy rain caused flooding and damage. The flood washed out one bridge and damaged nearly six other ones in the area, KTOO reports that the “National Weather Service has for days now been advising that runoff from snow melt in higher elevations is filling rivers in the eastern Interior to bank full.” The rain dumped about 5 inches around the Black Rapids area.
“There’s a lot of damage, and we’re still assessing it,” explained a State Department of Transportation spokesperson. There are damaged bridges over Boulder Creek, Lower and Upper Suzy Q Creeks, and Falls Creek. “But the big damage is really at Darling, Gunnysack, and then Bear Creek, where the whole bridge washed out.”
There is a lot of damage that needs to be repaired and, in the meantime, the state is doing its best to re-direct traffic and slowly begin to rebuild. Alaska Trucking Association Executive Director, Joe Michel, says that this can cause products to arrive late for several days and to expect delays.
