Alaska Estimates $20-Million Repair for Transportation Facilities
The Alaska Dept. of Transportation and Public Facilities "rough estimate" for repairs to transportation infrastructure is $20 million following Sunday's powerful earthquake 92 miles south of Fairbanks, says a DOT spokeswoman.
Shannon McCarthy says two major highways between Fairbanks and Anchorage--the Richardson Highway and the George Parks Highway--suffered substantial damage in the midday quake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale. A 4.5-ft-wide crack opened on the Alaska Highway, the only highway out of the state, and the Tok Cutoff--"a critical highway for south-central Alaska"--was limited to a single lane of traffic, she adds. Some connecting roads also have been damaged, and a report early Wednesday morning described the Northway Airport as "pretty chewed up," she says. This "important rural airport" suffered an 8-in. drop along the runway's centerline among other damage.