A road construction crew working near mile marker 58 of the Sterling Highway, located near Skilak Lake Road, unearthed a partial stick of unexploded dynamite with a blasting cap inserted. Construction crews contacted Alaska State Troopers, who requested assistance from the FBI, who disposed of the ordinance on-site with a controlled detonation.
Shannon McCarthy, Public Information Officer for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities spoke with KSRM:
“So, our construction crews found a piece of dynamite during excavation when they were working the phase 1A of the Sterling Highway 45-60 project. They stopped work immediately and called authorities and the crews were actually able to get back to work moving down the road a little ways. Bomb experts came out and detonated it and cleared the area and we are now okay to continue excavation.”
McCarthy says that crews are trained for this situation:
“They’re trained to look for stuff, especially in this area that there may be cultural artifacts that someone could discover. They do pay attention to what they’re excavating and they spotted it quickly, which was very good.”
McCarthy states that the dynamite dates back to the early 1950s (hyperlink):
“This is an old stick of dynamite. The location and the date stamp on it, and I don’t have exactly the date stamp said, but it indicates that it’s from the original construction of the road. It’s at least 50 to 60 years old.”
Luckily, the Department of Transportation says finding an unexploded stick of dynamite is rare and they advise the public to call authorities to clear the area and remedy the situation.