Copper River Highway
The Copper River Highway is a road in Alaska , which runs from Cordova in the east of the Prince William Sound about 90 km in a northeast direction along the former route of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway to the Copper River . It is part of Alaska Route 10 .
Construction of the road originally planned to the Edgerton Highway in Chitina began in 1945. The Million Dollar Bridge , a railway bridge built at the beginning of the 20th century by JP Morgan and the Guggenheim family , which until 1939 had been used to transport the copper mined in Kennicott , was converted in the course of the highway construction for use as a road bridge.
Construction had progressed until shortly after the bridge when the Good Friday quake of 1964 severely damaged the bridge and construction work stopped. The bridge was temporarily repaired and used again. The full restoration wasn't finished until 2005.
course
The highway begins at the landing stage of the Alaska Marine Highway in northern Cordova and initially runs east. After about 11 km the landscape changes from wooded mountains into the open delta of the Copper River. The area is called "the Gap" . After another 7 km, the access road to the Sheridan Glacier branches off. After 43 km the highway crosses the main channels of the Copper River Delta on several bridges, swings north and follows the east bank of the river to the Million Dollar Bridge ⊙ after 77.5 km. A few kilometers after the bridge, the highway ends as a cul-de-sac .
Closure of Bridge 339 over the Copper River Delta (as of April 15, 2016)
Since August 2011, the highway from Mile 36 has been closed for an indefinite period, as bridge no. 339 was closed due to the changed course of the river on the Copper River Delta and is now no longer passable. A meandering arm of the Copper River carried more and more water at this point. Measurements from the spring of 2011 revealed more than 2500 m 3 / s already five times the value of the original m for a flow of 500 3 / s designed bridge no. 339. The erosion of the abutments after the flood of 2008 and the US Geological Survey made Investigations and simulations clearly showed that the bridge with its abutments was now an obstacle to the natural course of the river. The bridge was closed immediately. In the meantime, the river has completely removed one abutment, as has practically the entire shoulder of the island between bridges no. 339 and 340. The arm of the river is now more than twice as wide at this point.
This means that various sights such as Childs Glacier, the Million Dollar Bridge as well as various campsites and starting points for hikes are no longer accessible by road. As an alternative, various companies are now offering organized excursions by boat, so-called airboats , to Childs Glacier. A replacement of bridge no. 339 is being considered, but the realization will be some time in coming, as there are similar concerns with all 11 bridges over the Copper River Delta. A general replacement of the bridges is estimated at around US $ 50 million and is generally questionable, as the Copper River Highway ends a few miles later as a spur road. The continuation of the Copper River Highway to Chitina is not an issue in the medium term.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Multi-Dimensional Surface Water Modeling System at Bridge 339, Copper River Highway, Alaska (English with photos)
- ↑ 2013 Update of the Alaska DOT (English with photos)
- ↑ General information from the Cordova Chamber of Commerce on glacier tours ( Memento of the original from December 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ Page of the Cordova Chamber of Commerce with offers on Childs Glacier ( Memento of the original from April 14, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ Information from the Alaska DOT on the Copper River Highway (English)
- ↑ Alaska DOT analysis from 2014 (English)
