The Haines Borough Assembly has approved plans to build a temporary road across the landslide that swept Beach Road last month. It will allow displaced residents to collect belongings and vehicles from homes that have been cut off from the rest of town.
The Haines Borough closed Beach Road after a landslide swept across it, destroying three homes and killing two people.
Residents living along the road have crossed the slide on foot or traveled by boat to collect belongings and protect their homes from the elements while they remain cut off from the power grid. Beach Road resident Steve Wishtar said this has been time-consuming and dangerous.
“There have been several injuries and even a person falling out of the boat into the water during one of our trips. We believe that a pioneer road would actually be a safer alternative to boating and actually even safer than walking across the slide,” Wishtar said.
The slide area is still hazardous. Geologists have identified a crack in the hillside above Beach Road and heavy rain caused material to move downhill into the slide area earlier this week.
The Alaska Department of Transportation will work with a consultant to assess ongoing hazards and officials still have questions about what kind of risk they pose. Haines Emergency Operations Incident Commander Carolann Wooten opposed plans to build a temporary road.
“The slide has been determined to be unsafe by geologists who are experts in their field. Their exact recommendation to the EOC was, ‘Allow no use or traffic in the red zone pending further investigation because of imminent threat of another catastrophic slide,'” Wooten said.
Earlier this week, Southeast Roadbuilders manager Roger Schnabel offered to clear a path through the debris during a brief cold weather window over the next few days. He said that freezing temperatures will allow the ground to firm up.
“I felt very confident and comfortable that I could build an access road safely across this without harm to myself or equipment or to the individuals,” Schnabel said. “What they’re exposed to right now and what they’re doing right now is a bigger risk in my opinion than me building them an access road for them and allowing them to get across the road.”
A local geologist responded that while freezing temperatures will firm up the ground, there is a risk that when water freezes it could cause further fracturing in the bedrock.
Assembly Member Cheryl Stickler said that while there are risks, the temporary road was worth following through on.
“We have to be able to calculate risk and we do that on a daily basis when we live here,” Stickler said. “In my opinion, it’s still a risk that we can take because of the limited time and because of this weather window.”
The assembly voted 5 to 1 in favor of approving the plans to build a temporary road, with assembly member Caitie Kirby opposed.
Schnabel anticipated that he would be able to clear a path by Sunday. Once finished, Beach Road residents will be allowed to use the road until Thursday. After that the road will close once again. Beach Road residents have developed a safety plan outlining precautions that will be used when entering the slide area. That plan will be reviewed by EOC safety officer Scott Bradford.
