State delays scheduled Seward Highway closures until spring

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The state will postpone culvert work on the Seward Highway that would have closed the roadway at night.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities says inclement weather will delay the work until spring.

Department spokeswoman Jill Reese says high winds, blowing rain, freezing temperatures and the possibility of snow are in the forecast.

The closures just south of Girdwood were scheduled to begin Wednesday night.

Road officials planned closures in six-hour increments for parts of six nights between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Wind gusts to 50 mph (80 kph) hit Tuesday, forcing work to stop.

The Seward Highway is the only roadway connecting Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula, which includes the cities of Seward, Soldotna, Kenai and Homer.