A small landslide blocked Glacier Highway for about an hour Friday afternoon near mile 21. Jeremy Woodrow with the Alaska Department of Transportation said it took about 20 minutes to clear the debris.
“I don’t believe there was any significant damage,” Woodrow said. “There definitely was material put into the ditch and drainage area so we had to do some more work to remove that. But, that’s to be expected when you have some movement of dirt into our ditches. That’s one reason why our ditches are there to catch some of that.”
Woodrow believes the slide was caused by last week’s heavy rains. He said they’re not a frequent occurrence, but it’s possible there will be more slides as the rainy season approaches.
“You do tend to see more slope movements during the fall when we get lots of rain,” Woodrow said. “It saturates the ground and kind of loosens the soil up. You tend to get more slides during that time than at other times of year.”
He cautioned drivers to keep an eye out for slides. He asked anyone who witnesses one to contact the Juneau Police Department. The police will call DOT and they will send crews to clear the road.
