Cape Blossom Road near Kotzebue is closed while crews install a temporary bridge

The road leading to a temporary bridge on Cape Blossom Road is closed while Brice Construction installs the bridge, the Northwest Arctic Borough said Thursday.

"Due to the presence of heavy machinery and construction equipment, we ask that all residents stay off the roadway and avoid the construction area during this time for everyone's safety," the borough said in a public notice. The notice doesn't say when the road will reopen.

The road was already fully closed at the old KEA gate in October for the second stage of construction. The Alaska 511 listing for that closure, last updated Nov. 6, still shows the road fully closed there and gives no end date.

The gravel road is planned to run 11.2 miles from Kotzebue across the Baldwin Peninsula toward Cape Blossom. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is building it in two stages, according to the department's project page. Stage I, finished in 2024, built the first half, from Ted Stevens Way to the northern banks of Sadie Creek. Stage II completes the road to Cape Blossom and includes a new bridge over Sadie Creek. The department picked Brice Inc. and KIC/Drake Joint Venture as Stage II contractors in fall 2024, according to a 2024 state notice.

The project is meant to cut freight costs for the region. In 2022, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced an additional $23 million for the road through an amendment to the Alaska Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, with the money coming through the federal bipartisan infrastructure law. The 2024-2027 program separately lists about $27.7 million in Congressionally Delegated Spending for the project.