Two major maintenance projects taking place on central peninsula roadways are expected to continue into next week.
The Department of Transportation currently has a bridge crew repairing a portion of Bridge Access Road, as well as a crew from maintenance and operations repairing culverts on Mile 19 of the Kenai Spur Highway, which is in the South Miller Loop area.
Shannon McCarthy, administrative operations manager at DOT, said that an inspection of Bridge Access Road last August showed damage to the bridge’s expansion joints. Since the damage was found late in construction season, the repairs had to wait until this year. Expansion joints are structures that allow for flexing and movement of materials — such as concrete, metal and asphalt — as they freeze and thaw throughout the year. Drivers may recognize the expansion joints as the metal ruts in the road that cause a slight bump when driving over them, McCarthy said. McCarthy said to expect lane closures periodically for the next week as crews work 24/7 to make repairs.
Several areas along the northern stretch of the Kenai Spur Highway were damaged as a result of the Nov. 30 earthquake. Maintenance crews began replacing the damaged culverts underneath the highway near Mile 19 last week. McCarthy said that culvert repairs will likely be finished by the end of the week, and maintenance crews will then move on to Miles 31 and 35.2 to replace the culverts there. The Captain Cook State Recreation Area entrance is at Mile 35.6. Periodic lane closures should be expected for these projects as well.
These portions of the Kenai Spur Highway also need to be repaved, but McCarthy said that the asphalt plants that supply the pavement have not yet resumed operation for the year. McCarthy said that once the asphalt becomes available, repaving should be completed within a few days.
