Road closures associated with blasting work on the Seward Highway between Seward and Moose Pass will start earlier in the day beginning Aug. 21, QAP General Contractors announced in a revised work schedule published Aug. 7.

The blasting work being done is part of the Seward Milepost 17-22.5 Rehabilitation Project, which aims to improve road conditions between Moose Pass and Seward. The affected road area spans from about the Primrose Campground to near Teddy’s Inn The Woods.

Through Aug. 20, blasting work will close that section of the Seward Highway between 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Between Aug. 21 and Sept. 15, the road will be closed between 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday. From Sept. 15 through the end of the season, the road will be closed from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday.

In bumping the blasting work up to earlier in the day, QAP General Contractors said it is trying to take advantage of “already decreasing light conditions.”

“QAP and (Southeast Roadbuilders) do not anticipate needing the full duration of the closures and will work diligently to reopen to a minimum of one lane with a pilot car as soon as safe to do so,” the company said in an Aug. 7 update. “However due to unforeseen circumstances it may result in utilizing the full closure duration to safely reopen the highway to traffic.”

Per Alaska 511, closures will continue until mid-September and also include a detour due to work occurring on the Victor Creek Bridge. Motorists, Alaska 511 says, should expect nightly single-lane closures during the summer.

Up-to-date traffic conditions can be found at 511.alaska.gov.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.