The Kenai Peninsula Borough, the City of Seward and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management have announced that Lowell Point Road near Seward is slated to open for two lane traffic beginning Friday, May 27, at 12:00 p.m. noon, in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The road will remain open 24 hours a day until Tuesday, May 31st at 8:00 a.m. where the road will close between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm until Thursday, June 2nd, for additional blasting work.
The free water taxi service and bus shuttle for Lowell Point residents and those who work in Lowell Point and Seward, will NOT be running while the road is open, but will be offered again during times when the road is closed. However, water taxis will still operate their individual schedules, meaning those who choose not to use the road, you still can pay for a ride by water taxi by calling Aurora Charters at 907-224-3968 or Millers Landing at 907-331-4040.
Drivers can expect to cross a slight rise in the road as they pass the debris field below Bear Mountain. Large boulders have been placed along the road on the seaside and there are other barriers on the slope side of the road, to mitigate any safety issues. In addition, there is a large ditch below the slide area which is expected to catch any additional debris that falls.
It is important to remember that Lowell Point Road has been and will continue to be considered a hazardous road and Bear Mountain is still considered unstable and will continue to be unstable for the foreseeable future, according to an alert from the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Heavy rains, snow, or earthquakes can cause further landslides meaning work related to this disaster will be ongoing for the foreseeable future.
The Borough wants to also remind everyone that Lowell Point is open for business again and there are no restrictions about staying there. Like residents, visitors should be aware that current road conditions are hazardous and there is a possibility of road closures or delays due to environmental conditions such as rain or earthquakes or mitigation work like blasting.
Additionally, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Incident Management Team, DOT and officials from the City of Seward worked yesterday to get the last of the vehicles safely across and estimated that close to 130 vehicles have been moved.
The response to the Lowell Point Road landslide has been a collaborative effort between the City of Seward, the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, and the State of Alaska Department of Transportation.
NOTE: Water taxis are still available for free to Lowell Point residents and those who work in Lowell Point and Seward, but only until the road is open. Click here for more information.
