Denali National Park Road repair plan approved

The National Park Service is moving forward with a plan to fix part of the road in Denali National Park and Preserve that has been made impassable by an accelerating landslide.

The plan, which was approved earlier this week, involves building a bridge across the Pretty Rocks landslide, more than forty miles along the Park Road.  Twenty-five million dollars in funding for the project comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that passed late last year.

The Pretty Rocks landslide has caused increased road maintenance issues and safety concerns in recent years.  The landslide has been speeding up, meaning the methods that worked to keep the road passable in the past are no longer working.

Construction on the project is expected to begin this year, and the National Park Service says the work will be done on an accelerated timeline.  Until that work is complete, the western parts of Denali National Park will not be accessible by road.

Visitors this summer will still be able to see part of the park via the road, however.  Currently, Denali National Park plans to keep the first forty-three miles of the road open.