DOT plans to resume Eagle convoys

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The state Department of Transportation says more convoys are planned for parts of the washed-out Taylor Highway.

Much of the road between Chicken and Eagle has been closed for the past month after heavy flooding caused more than $6 million in damage to the roadway, forcing Gov. Sean Parnell to declare the area a disaster.

Beginning Friday, pilot cars will begin leading people from Chicken to the junction of the Top of the World Highway at Milepost 95, which leads to Dawson City in Canada.

The convoys will begin at 8 a.m. and again at noon each day. Convoys will leave at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day for the return trip from Milepost 95 to Chicken.

Because of the road damage, no large trucks, buses, or vehicles with trailers will be permitted to join the convoys.

The state says it could be two to three more weeks until the part of the Taylor Highway that leads to Eagle can be reopened.