Motorists should expect intermittent closures on Lowell Point Road through the end of the month while crews conduct final cleanup work from last month’s landslide. That’s per the City of Seward, which announced the closures early Wednesday.
Lowell Point Road will be closed intermittently on Thursday, June 23 and on Wednesday, June 29. Drivers should expect delays of up to 20 minutes with flaggers present while crews work, the city said. Metco Alaska will work Thursday to conduct final excavation and cleanup work and next week to place barriers in the slide area, the city said.
Wednesday’s announcement came almost seven weeks after a landslide, estimated by the City of Seward to contain 40,000 cubic yards of debris, severed access between Seward and the community of Lowell Point. Until late May, those traveling between the two communities were limited to water taxi service and shuttle buses.
The road reopened to two-lane traffic at the end of May, with motorists encouraged to exercise caution. Until early June, the road was closed for two four-hour blocks while clearing work continued, according to a schedule posted by the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management.
Workers with Metco Alaska LLC and Advanced Blasting Services have worked since the slide to remove debris in the area. A unified command structure, which included the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the City of Seward and the State of Alaska Department of Homeland Security, was created in late May to support response efforts.
The City of Seward, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce all issued disaster declarations for the area in the wake of the slide.
Updates about the status of the road, as well as additional closure information, is being shared by the City of Seward on the city’s Facebook page.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
