Denali Road Construction Contractor Selected

[donaldsc]

https://alaskapublic.org/2023/01/13/construction-to-start-on-bridge-to-be-suspended-over-landslide-site-in-denali-national-park/.

 

To be started in May.  Planned completion date in time for the 2025 season if you really believe that it will not be delayed.  I wonder what the condition of the rest of the road is?

 

DON

[Northern Aurora]

Yes Don -- I posted about this several hours ago.  As reported today in both the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Daily News an agreement with a contractor was formalized last week.  The  work is expected to begin in May 2023, and if all goes well, the NPS states travel along the entire length of the single park road may be possible in 2025 but the press releases aren't predicting whether that would be early in the season or later in the season.

 

Since there has been no maintenance on the road past the closure since August 2021 there are indeed concerns about the road conditions past Pretty Rocks.  While there is a park road maintenance camp near the park entrance I am not aware of a secondary road maintenance camp located between Eielson Visitor Center and Kantishna.  

[donaldsc]

I would assume that they have at least overflown the road past Pretty Rocks to get some idea of the condition of the road.  Of course once they get the bridge completed so that they can get construction equipment past the closure I am certain there will be more maintenance issues to be dealt with.  I certainly would not expect the road to be open immediately after the bridge is completed. 

 

I wonder if the cruise companies are telling their passengers that their visit to Denali right now will be severely impaired.  Would you book a CruiseTour that says that they will get to visit Denali when in reality you don't get very far into the park.  We all know that many of the visitors to AK are totally unaware of the issues impacting their tour.  

 

DON