KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
As road conditions on the Chiniak Highway continue to deteriorate, the Alaska Department of Transportation says there’s not much they can do at the moment. Randy Vanderwood, Chief of Maintenance and Operations for the DOT’s Central Region, says there’s not a lot of money in its budget to do repairs after such a harsh winter.
— (Roads 1 36 sec "We’re hanging on to the paved … hard to grade slop.")
He said the oldest section of paved road, starting near Marine Hill, was not designed for the kind of loads it’s been carrying since the resumption of logging in Chiniak.
— (Roads 2 38 sec "When that section of road was … a lot of these frost heaves.")
Vanderwood said it was his understanding that A-1 Timber ceased running their logging trucks before weight restrictions were instituted Thursday morning.
— (Roads 3 37 sec "They were only about three days … homeowners and industry.")
Even if the Chiniak Highway can make it through to summer without too much more damage, Vanderwood said the budget for keeping the dust down on the gravel portion short this year:
— (Roads 4 38 sec "One of the things we won’t … stretched pretty thin this year.")
On the positive side, the switchback at Mile 23.7 of the Chiniak Highway will undergo $4-million in improvements this summer,designed to straighten it as much as possible.
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