The Haines Highway construction project fired back up on Monday after several months off during winter.
A pilot car, flagging and traffic delays should be expected from 12 to 20 Mile between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on work days through summer. Drilling and blasting is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 28.
The multi-year reconstruction project, which began in 2018, is still in the second of three phases. This summer’s work will involve drilling, blasting, clearing, grouting and culvert installation between 12 and 16 Mile and putting down the top layer of pavement between 16 and 20 Mile, said Alaska Department of Transportation construction project engineer John Kajdan.
The state’s contract for phase two of the project expires Sept. 30. DOT hasn’t put out a request for bids on phase three, which will involve work between 20 and 25 Mile, Kajdan said.
Last summer the state announced that a design change at 19 Mile would add $2 million to the project. The construction contract for widening and rebuilding the highway between 12.2 Mile and 20 Mile is $38.5 million. The estimated cost of the 20 to 25 Mile section is $30-40 million.
Kajdan said no further costs are anticipated at the moment.
The three-phase project includes realignment of the highway, widening shoulders, grading, paving, landslide mitigation and drainage improvements between 3.9 Mile and 25 Mile to allow for a 55-mph speed limit.
*The original version of this article said, based on a previous CVN report, “rebuilding the road between town and the Canada border is estimated at $102 million.” In fact, the road reconstruction project won’t continue beyond 25 Mile, according to DOT spokesperson Sam Dapcevich. “A rebuild isn’t needed beyond that point. DOT&PF has discussed a preventative maintenance project on the MP 25-border section, but it has not been funded yet,” Dapcevich told the CVN (following publication of the original story). The headline of the article also has been updated.