The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities conducted field investigations for the Highway Safety Project: Seward Highway Rock Fall Mitigation. Work includes analyses of locations between mileposts (MP) 104 and 114 with a history of rock falls.

The analyses required contractors to use bucket trucks and ladders, and suspend personnel from the rock face in order to conduct geotechnical investigations. In order to safely complete the field work, crews closed segments of the highway.

The field survey will help the design team determine a combination of solutions to reduce rock fall hazards, including scaling (pre-emptively removing rock that is likely to fall), draped mesh, rock bolts and development of ditches.

Construction is anticipated in summer 2020 and is estimated to cost between $10 and $20 million.

For more information, visit dot.state.ak.us.