Beaver dams burst, blocking Richardson Highway with debris. Twice.

A beaver. (Creative Commons photo courtesy Larry Smith)

Burst beaver dams caused landslides that blocked the Richardson Highway near Paxson — first on July 1, then again on Monday.

Alaska Department of Transportation spokesperson Danielle Tessen says that on both occasions, beaver dams built uphill of the highway near mile 187 swelled ponds, eventually breaking the dams.

“Essentially a whole flash flood of debris, materials and water from the ponds comes slashing down the side of the hill and covers the road,” she said.

Tessen says no vehicles were caught in either slide, and in both incidents the highway was cleared and re-opened in about 2 hours. But there’s concern that another such release could result in a more serious outcome.

“You know, the first time you’re like, ‘Whoo, that was lucky,'” she said. “And then the second time I was like, ‘Okay, this is really lucky.'”

Tessen says DOT materials experts are going over the site to better understand the situation and consider possible remedies.

KUAC - Fairbanks

KUAC is our partner station in Fairbanks. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

Sign up for The Signal

Top Alaska stories delivered to your inbox every week

Read next

Site notifications
Update notification options
Subscribe to notifications