Thane Road is currently blocked by a slide that occurred about 12:20 a.m. in the main avalanche chute area. Debris is covering the road all the way to Gastineau Channel.
Juneau Police Sargeant Chris Burke says dispatch got calls from Douglas residents who spotted the slide.
No injuries or property damage have been reported. State DOT crews plan to do avalanche mitigation by triggering controlled slides before trying to clear the road. They say it could take through 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) around 4 o’ clock, a big slide rumbled down the Behrends path on Mt. Juneau. While it may have looked bad from the streets below, CBJ Emergency Programs Manager Tom Mattice says fortunately it stopped short of causing any property damage.
“It looks like it came down and stopped short up on the hill, up on the upper trails that are blocked and signed and posted,” he says.
Mattice says this week’s warmer temperatures have significantly reduced the snowpack. Rain-soaked snow at lower elevations is also helping to slow down slides before they get to roadways.
“There’s actually been several naturals going around the community off Mt. Juneau and Mt. Roberts both,” Mattice says. “The sizes have not been huge, because things got so wetted it really slowed-them-down down low which has been the saving grace.”
Mattice says residents should continue to be cautious for at least the next 48 hours, and avoid marked avalanche zones.
Check the current avalanche advisory online:
