Drastic and rapid changes in road surface conditions are more likely given increasingly common mid-winter rains in Interior Alaska. One day it’s normal wintertime road surface conditions. Then, in a few hours, the road surface becomes treacherously rough and slick, and remains so for perhaps weeks or months.
This photo of the Richardson Highway was recently posted on the Salcha/Birch Lake Facebook page. Road conditions like this are of major concern to the Advocates for Safe Alaska Highways. Turning our rural highways into industrial mining haul roads will result in increased accident rates. How will Kinross and Alaska DOT determine when to halt the ore trucks when roads become treacherous?