Alaska 511 warns of multiple crashes and possible closures in Turnagain Pass

Alaska 511 issued a high-importance alert Friday afternoon for multiple crashes and adverse highway conditions in the Turnagain Pass area of the Seward Highway.

The alert reports several emergency vehicles in the area and tells drivers to expect delays, with possible highway closures. It was sent as a notification for the Kenai Peninsula region and runs from 12:32 pm to 3:31 pm.

The alert does not say how many vehicles were involved, whether anyone was hurt, what caused the crashes or when traffic might return to normal. It does not describe the road conditions beyond calling them adverse.

Turnagain Pass is the highest-elevation section of the Seward Highway. The state Department of Transportation keeps a road-weather monitoring site there.

In July, a collision closed both directions of the Seward Highway at Mile 69 in Turnagain Pass, Alaska News reported July 20. That closure was expected to last at least an hour.

Drivers heading between Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula can check current conditions on Alaska 511 before they leave.