Anchor River overruns highway

Prolonged rainfall incited flood warnings and watches for much of Southcentral Alaska last weekend.

Third time is not so much the charm, in this instance.

Prolonged rainfall last weekend incited flood warnings and watches for much of Southcentral Alaska last weekend, including Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula, Matanuska and Susitna Valleys and Prince William Sound.

Locally, a flood warning was put into effect starting Friday morning through Monday for Anchor Point Road within the Anchor River State Recreation Area and the Sterling Highway at Blackwater Bend, between Homer and Anchor Point. Both areas lie in close proximity to the Anchor River.

“Moderate flooding” occurred on the Sterling Highway at Blackwater Bend, as well as Anchor Point Road and North Fork Road in Anchor Point, according to Justin Shelby, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities central region administrative operations manager. The flooding on North Fork Road largely consisted of “overflow on the shoulder.”

This marks at least the third time that the Anchor River has flooded and impacted southern Kenai Peninsula roads. Comparatively, Shelby said, last weekend’s flooding was “nothing like” the incident on Jan. 13, where floodwater on Anchor Point Road reached a depth of 18 inches.

“It was just a few inches over the road (this time),” he said. “It was still drivable, it was just water on the roadway.”

Shelby said that some flooding also occurred on East End Road in Homer due to plugged culverts, and DOT had a crew working to clear drainage on Sunday night.

The National Weather Service on Saturday posted an alert on Facebook that “due to frozen ground and heavy rainfall, runoff will lead to significant flooding in low-lying or flood-prone areas.” Impacts included ponding on roadways, travel disruptions and localized flooding. Travellers were advised to avoid driving on roads while the warning was in effect, or if they must travel, to proceed with caution and to turn around if they encountered flooded areas.

Temperature drops and snowfall on Monday morning created icy road conditions on the southern peninsula. The Alaska Department of Transportation posted on Facebook Monday that while road conditions were improving, they asked for drivers to exercise patience and to drive with caution.

Shelby said that with the temperature dropping overnight, DOT had to pivot from working on water issues to working on sanding because there were areas where it was icing up.

“We cannot overemphasize how odd the weather has been for the past 60-72 hours,” DOT wrote in their post.

Travellers are advised check for updated conditions at 511.alaska.gov/.