Dunleavy. The shelves are pretty empty. For the first time ever, the ice road on the frozen Kuskokwim River has been plowed to Sleetmute, a village north of Bethel. [5] [6] [7] Ice roads are typically part of a winter road, but they can also be simple stand-alone structures, connecting two shorelines. This road that we plow on the Kuskokwim River is for the people who live here. Krysti Shallenberger, Alaska's Energy Desk - Bethel, NTSB releases preliminary report on Medevac plane crash in Unalaska, Yukon aims to sell renewable power to Skagway cruise ships, With strong sockeye showing, Kasilof River opens to dipnetters, Yupik dancing, Christian prayers mark Dillinghams blessing of the fleet, Amateur historian wins national award for podcast on one of Alaskas deadliest shipwrecks. Road access is one of the greatest challenges to development on Alaskas Western North Slope. The ice road stretches from Napakiak up to Kalskag and. Getting that stuff thrown in with air carriers is expensive, she said. Unprecedented weather and warming from climate change are shortening the ice roads season and hampering its reliability; warm winter storms can thaw rivers in places, making ice roads hazardous or impassable. In past years, the Kuskokwim River ice road has cost more than $300,000 to maintain, Leary says. LEARY AND THE DOZEN or so people on his crew maintain the ice road with three graders and three plow trucks. Program Contact:Please direct any questions to your regional planner. A trip to the northernmost tip of the United States, where the roads are frozen water and you sleep upright. Embark on a truly Alaskan dog sled ride on a beautiful 160 acre homestead! With delivered heating oil and diesel costs over $6 per gallon in the region, and the state in a surplus based in part on these high oil prices, Governor Dunleavy believes it is only right to provide community relief where possible. ConocoPhillips conducts water and fish studies and ongoing monitoring, develops plans and seeks permits many months in advance to ensure efforts meet regulations and reflect the great care the company takes to minimize the effect of its operations on the environment. Time to refuel. We are also able to offer, upon request, reasonable accommodations for the special needs related to disabilities. The manual being developed under FHWA funding will help ensure the safety of those who are increasingly dependent on ice roads. 01:15. The people of Kasigluk literally passed the hat, pitching in $5, $10, $20 each whatever they could afford. If travelers see that, they should be careful of thin, shell ice that could be easily broken through. Each time Leary saw a trooper on the ice road, he took a picture and emailed it to state officials. Funds for the Dick Nash Memorial ice road will help tribal transportation departments maintain the frozen Kuskokwim for travel in the 2022/2023 winter. He said that before the road was put in, the snow and rough ice made it hard for people to travel to other villages and to get medical aid and food supplies. Things We Learned on Alaska Road Trip As Locals + Photos - Insider Katie Basile/High Country News Ice roads are also important for industry in the Arctic, especially on Alaska's North Slope, where resource companies use them so operators can avoid driving on. Once projects are awarded, the next steps are planning and programming, environmental analysis, design, development, and financial close out. He said theyre planning on extending the ice road to Aniak later this week. Katie Basile/High Country News. Edward Berlin heads home to the village of Kwethluk after fixing his snowmachine with help from family in Napakiak. The ice road along the Kuskokwim River in Western Alaska can stretch over 300 miles, connecting villages that otherwise rely on unpredictable air travel in winter. A few weeks ago, Mark Leary and his crew began to plow the snow off the frozen Kuskokwim River in southwest Alaska. Email High Country News at [emailprotected] or submit a letter to the editor. by Amy Burnett Winter ice roads that take planning and tenacity are a way of life on the Western North Slope of Alaska. Arctic Circle Northern Lights Overnight Adventure - Alaska Tours If you do decide to travel the Dalton Highway, it can be a great experience, the remoteness, and nearby wilderness is hard to come by in the lower 48. She declined to name the fleet she drives for . Naturally, electrical tape had zero adhesion in the cold, but that didnt stop us from attempting to use it on leaky, threaded hoses. After living in Alaska for 30 years, my husband and I took a two-week road trip through the state. Last year, the Alaska Legislature began giving the crew a grant to help cover the costs of maintaining the ice road. The road over the Beaufort Sea is mainly used by semi-trucks to deliver various loads to Point Thomson. Our snowmobile ride takes us to a destination you may find as the most unique restaurant you may ever eat at the restaurant is on a quiet island, in the middle of a frozen lake! All those hundreds of miles of drivable ice are truly an Alaskan feat. Our role was just to prove that it could be done. That's been deadly for some, and is leaving others unable to travel. Their contribution was, like, $300-something. The people of Kasigluk literally passed the hat, pitching in $5, $10, $20 eachwhatever they could afford. Katie Bausler. This year, the crew is also, for the first time, receiving federal money: Lawmakers included ice-road-maintenance funds, distributed through a state program called Safe Ice Roads for Alaska, in a federal infrastructure bill. This is the Kuskokwim ice road, whose main stem can extend more than 300 miles, connecting the bulk of the regions population. There is no other road connecting the communities; without it, people would have to rely on air travel, which isnt always an option because of bad weather or exorbitant costs. The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) has established a new program for communities to competitively access funding for ice roads. Ice Alaska Ice Park (Fairbanks) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go This vehicle had to work the hardest, and received the most tugs, but ultimately made it, albeit with a few minor injuries. Maintaining ice roads goes beyond plowing and placing reflectors. Leary asked Donlin Gold, a mining company, for money to extend the ice road. The Bruise, our violet 1999 Jeep Wrangler was a trusty, ice-conquering steed. Not many folks get the chance to go as far North as Spy Island, Alaska. But Leary says the tribe saw a need to begin maintaining it about a decade ago to facilitate transportation of wood products during the winter, and to keep the route safe and clear for the thousands of residents who live along the river. Once it drops, travelers may see sand bars poke up near or underneath the ice road. The Ice Highway: What It's Like to Drive Across the Top of Alaska Every state entity in the area uses the ice road, including the Alaska State Troopers. 25 2021, Published 4:55 p.m. Our target start date for ice road construction was December 1, but it was warm this year and it pushed us back by about two weeks, said Osborne. Early openings this year werent until the third week of January, with the final sections opening in mid-February. The River Road provides important access to health care and emergency services, education and workforce development, youth sports, and friends and family. Unprecedented weather and warming from climate change are shortening the ice roads season and hampering its reliability; warm winter storms can thaw rivers in places, making ice roads hazardous or impassable. The ice road stretches from Napakiak up to Kalskag and its at least 2 feet thick in most places. The Ice Highway: What It's Like to Drive Across the Top of Alaska, The Best Coasters and Thrill Rides in Every State. The farthest Leary has ever plowed has been to Crooked Creek, but this time Leary wanted to go all the way to Sleetmute. Your guide will instruct you how to safely operate your snowmobiles before heading out onto the trail. Insider knowledge from a year-round local is always something to value! You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Frozen rivers provide a relatively smooth and solid corridor for traveling in the North. Climate change poses a threat to frozen rivers that connect isolated villages. The reality show "Ice. Oh my gosh, you gotta see it with your own eyes, says Leary, the director of operations for the road and an employee of the Native Village of Napaimute, the entity that leads the effort to establish and maintain it. Along the entire route, you will only encounter three permanent towns, but there may be a few more populated areas along the route depending on what time of year you find yourself on the Dalton Highway. Now, however, a changing climate and more erratic winter storms are making ice roads like this one less reliable and harder to keep safe and passable all winter long. Ice Road Truckers Don't Want to Travel Dalton Highway - TripSavvy Right, signs guide travelers up and down the river. Summer travel across the delicate North Slope tundra must be done in low-impact, specialized vehicles or by air. Ice roads help rural communities move goods and services during winter months, and are cost effective for families. Oh, and by the way, the road must be built of ice. Few signs of civilization were found along our path, such as this unmanned weather installation. Theres just nothing that we can count on. Utqiavik, formerly known as Barrow, is a Native Alaskan village perched high on the Arctic Coast. We just dont know. Here's what it takes to build Alaska's highways of ice Are You Prepared to Drive Dalton Highway? In past years, the Kuskokwim River ice road has cost more than $300,000 to maintain, Leary said. According to the Alaska Department of Resources, Division of Lands, the winter tundra-travel season on the North Slope shrank from about 200 days in the 1970s to about 120 days in the early 2000s. As a result, Learys crew is operating on full public funding this year. This winter, half of the Ice Road maintenance has been covered through contributions from community stakeholders, as requested by Gov. Built to Thaw: Why Ice Roads Get the Green Light This notice provided IAW 17 AAC 05.195, Get updated by email or text message. Toth assesses one of many large cracks while Enlow and Leavitt stand by. The stores in Bethel been feeling it. Leary said that has put a huge number of vehicles on the ice road. If at all possible, let someone not traveling with you know your itinerary so they can report to the proper authorities if you dont report in or make a destination. Utilizing the ice road for that is a huge benefit. We reached out to everybody along the river to help pay for it, and the support was huge, Leary said. Safe Ice Roads for Alaska Program - Alaska Department of Transportation To drive there from Prudhoe Bay, where paved roads end, you have to go during a narrow window in late winter when the sea ice is solid and stationary. Waiting for winter: ice roads mean the North Slope can get to work But winter 2017 was one of the warmest on record. Distance: 102 miles north of Anchorage. Plus, nobody wants to find that their rig doesnt cold-start 100 miles out on the ice in minus 40 degrees. The notice is also posted on the States Public Notice site at: A bulletin will also be sent electronically to our current subscribers through the departments GovDelivery system anyone can sign up for GovDelivery online at. Frostbite is nearly instant when touching metal. The maximum speed you can drive with is only 16 km/h. How Much Do Ice Road Truckers Get Paid? We dont know from year to year. A man on a four-wheeler heads downriver into Bethel. Not really sure what the next move is and who the responsibility will lie with at this point, Wilmarth said. Carlile Transportation Systems is a transportation company based in Anchorage, Alaska. The ConocoPhillips Alaska 2018 seismic program is complete, and the exploration drilling activity and GMT-1 construction are all on track. Suggest an edit How remote is it up here? This endless white and blue was our constant panorama. Safety on Ice | FHWA - Federal Highway Administration This road that we plow on the Kuskokwim River is for the people who live here. We reached a suitable campsite early in the morning, just a few hundred yards off of an island. One time, it almost made us cry. At mile 102, you can drive down to Glacier Park and pay a day fee (888-253-4480), then hike 15-20 minutes to the face of glacier. The proposed FY23 budget, as in prior years, includes $185,000 for Kuskokwim Ice Road maintenance. The State of Alaska funding the Kuskokwim Ice Road is a vital infrastructure investment in the Yukon Kuskokwim Region, creating local jobs, said Stephen Maxie Jr. Interim Speaker of the Yukon Kuskokwim Regional Tribal Government. Alpine, located on the boundary of the National Petroleum ReserveAlaska, was developed without a permanent road connecting it to other North Slope infrastructure. Full-time residents and even cabin owners in remote Alaska might not be deterred, but it takes unique people, a solid commitment, a whole lot of planning and tenacity to live or work in this type of remote environment. There are only three very small towns along the way. The pay is fantastic, but it's in line with the risk you're taking each season. This program is designed to identify needs through public outreach and involvement, evaluate and score eligible projects against criteria, and prioritize and select projects for funding. Zaukar and his crew helped navigate the thinner ice, and by Saturday, Feb. 15, they made it to Sleetmute. The season for this unique activity starts in December and lasts till the end of March. Alaska's Ice Roads Are Starting to Melt - The Atlantic John Paul pulls white fish from a set net alongside the Kuskokwim River ice road near Napaskiak, Alaska. A Bering Strait crossing is a hypothetical bridge or tunnel that would span the relatively narrow and shallow Bering Strait between the Chukotka Peninsula in Russia and the Seward Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska.The crossing would provide a connection linking the Americas and Eurasia.. With the two Diomede Islands between the peninsulas, the Bering Strait could be spanned by a bridge or . It starts with a bad idea: What if we could get to Utqiavik by driving across the sea ice? It would be difficult enough in a snowcat or one of those Icelandic tundra trucks. Especially in a busy year like this one, we have to keep our focus on getting the job done safely.. Bering Strait crossing - Wikipedia The Dalton Highway starts in north-central Alaska near the town of Livengood and north of Fairbanks before snaking north through Hess Creek, jumping over the Yukon River, winding through Coldfoot, Wiseman and Galbraith Lake before ending short of the Arctic Ocean. But Leary said the tribe saw a need to begin maintaining it about a decade ago to facilitate transportation of wood products during the winter, and to keep the route safe and clear for the thousands of residents who live along the river. For the few months that it exists, it makes life much more convenient and much, much cheaper.. After the December 2021 meltdown, the Kuskokwim River Ice Road has refrozen smooth and thick, and traffic on it is heavy. (Photo by Elizabeth. Enter ice roads They make continued operations at Alpine and any new development on the Western North Slope possible. Meet champion Alaskan racing Huskies and their mushers! Thank you, Governor Dunleavy and Commissioner Anderson, for investing in rural Alaska.. In Bethel, Alaska, record warm temperatures mean a frozen river that serves as an ice road is melting early.

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