State closes Kotzebue to Cape Blossom Road at old KEA gate for Stage 2 work

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has fully closed the Kotzebue to Cape Blossom Road at the old KEA gate for Stage 2 construction. The Alaska 511 notice was last updated at 7:16 am Friday. It gives no reopening date and no alternate route. Brice Incorporated is the contractor named on the closure.

The road is designed to reach a barge landing near Cape Blossom and lower Kotzebue's barging costs, according to a department project information sheet. The department's 2017 permit application describes an 11.64-mile road from Kotzebue to Cape Blossom. It said construction would take at least five years, with most work done in winter.

The department is building the road in two stages. Stage 1 was completed in 2024. Stage 2 extends the road from Sadie Creek to Cape Blossom and includes a new bridge over Sadie Creek, according to the department's project page.

The state's four-year transportation spending plan lists $53.1 million for Stage 2, all programmed in 2024. About $27.7 million of that is Congressionally Delegated Spending.