Merbok repairs begin on three stretches of the Nome-Council Highway

Permanent repairs to three Merbok-damaged stretches of the Nome-Council Highway are under way, four years after the 2022 storm breached the road. A contractor has started hauling material and is expected to work seven days a week, with pilot cars guiding traffic through one lane, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said in its Northern Region construction update Monday.

The work covers mileposts 4 to 5, 9 to 11, and 14.2 to 14.7. DOT&PF is advising drivers to watch for crews and equipment hauling in the area.

The road connects Nome to Council and serves residents and property owners along Safety Sound. DOT&PF said in September 2022 that the storm surge left Nome Council Road "completely impassable" and that crews hauled more than 100,000 tons of material to that road and to Front Street for emergency repairs, with a goal of restoring basic vehicle access by Oct. 15 of that year. A state disaster recovery draft plan put roughly 30 miles of the road out of service, including an ocean breach. Merbok damaged about 40 communities along 1,300 miles of coastline.

Federal Highway Administration records put the three grants at $2,417,398, all running through April 1, 2028. The mileposts 9-11 segment received $1,086,913, the largest of the three awards. The mileposts 4-5 segment received $697,362, and the mileposts 14.2-14.7 segment received $633,123. Four more federal awards cover other stretches and Front Street, taking permanent repairs on the road to about $6.5 million.

The Federal Highway Administration has framed the early response as fast, announcing $9 million in quick release Emergency Relief funds in October 2022, the program's first tranche, recorded as emergency repairs for the Nome and Teller area. DOT&PF sought public comment on the milepost 9-11 and 14.2-14.7 segments in February 2025, listing spring 2026 construction.