Avalanche mitigation work will cause traffic delays on the Seward Highway tomorrow between Summit Lake and the Tern Lake intersection.
Key to that mitigation work is a tool that’s straight out of World War II. The Alaska Department of Transportation uses a cannon called a Howitzer to shake loose potential avalanche debris.
DOT Spokesperson Shannon McCarthy said it’s important to keep those avalanches on the department’s terms so they don’t happen while people are driving.
"We want small, manmade avalanches that release material and don’t allow for lots of material to build up," she said. "Because we know when Mother Nature wants to let go of the snowpack, it sometimes is so significant it will hit the road and close the road.”
Alaska DOT has been using the Howitzer for decades. It’s the same avalanche tech used at Alyeska Resort and ski mountains around the country.
But the tech is on its last legs. DOT is starting to think about phasing out its Howitzer system, since the cannons are no longer being made and it’s becoming harder and harder to get parts.
McCarthy said DOT is doing work on the highway tomorrow because current snow conditions can be conducive to avalanches.
"We do have some avalanche forecast specialists, or avalanche mitigation specialists, on staff," she said. "And they look at our high hazard areas.”
That area – between mileposts 37 and 44 – is historically high risk.
McCarthy said drivers can expect delays of up to 45 minutes in that stretch of the highway tomorrow, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Updates are available at 511.alaska.gov.
