Motorist hits guardrail on icy Richardson Highway in Thompson Pass

A motorist lost control on the icy Richardson Highway and struck a guardrail at mile 39 in Thompson Pass on Thursday, Alaska State Troopers said.

A Glennallen trooper responded, according to a dispatch posted Friday by the troopers' B Detachment. The crash left the vehicle disabled, and a tow company responded to the scene. The motorist was not injured.

Heavy snow and high winds can close the highway for days, and avalanches hit it several times a year, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities says.

The pass typically gets more than 700 inches of snow a year, according to March testimony to the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The highway was closed multiple times last winter because of heavy snowfall and severe drifting from high winds, the testimony said.

Current road conditions are posted at 511.alaska.gov.