The Haines Highway might briefly shut down a few times for blasting in the next two years.
The possible closed-to-traffic times could stretch up to three hours.
The state plans to straighten out, widen and otherwise upgrade the highway from Mile 3.5 to Mile 26 over several years, with the $100 million overhaul work starting at Mile 3.5 and working its way north.
If the work begins in 2017, it will likely take two years to reach Mile 12, said Jeremy Woodrow, spokesman for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
Just north and just south of Mile 6 are bends that are expected to be straightened and widened. That’s where the blasting would likely take place, Woodrow said.
While no solid estimates are available on how long the blasting work might close the highway, that time might reach up to three hours, he said.
The transportation department plans to coordinate with the Haines Borough government, cruise lines, and local tourist-related companies to nail down the best times to close the highway. That could lead to possible blasting in the evenings, when traffic is light.
“We’ll try to be as flexible as possible,” Woodrow said.
Highway upgrades north of Mile 12 are several years in the future. Woodrow said it is too early to tell if any blasting will occur along that northern stretch.
The area’s rafting companies are already worried about construction blocking the access and pull-out points at mile markers 13, 14, just north of 14, 15 and 26.
The borough is setting up a committee to deal with that issue.
The transportation department requires contractors to produce traffic control and access plans to cover all stages of construction in a stretch of highway.