Sterling Highway to close overnight Wednesday between mileposts 45 and 47

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities will close the Sterling Highway between mileposts 45 and 47 from 10 pm Wednesday, Oct. 7, to 4 am Thursday, Oct. 8. Its Alaska 511 notice lists no detour. A department benefit-cost analysis calls the highway the only road connecting western Kenai Peninsula communities with the rest of Alaska.

The closure is part of Stage 3/1B of the milepost 45 to 60 reconstruction, known as the Cooper Landing bypass, which runs from the Sunrise area to Skilak Lake Road, according to the project website. The benefit-cost analysis put the 2.5-mile segment's cost at $54.5 million in 2020 dollars.

Crews blast Monday through Friday, and construction runs Monday through Saturday, 6 am to 7 pm. Drivers should expect 10-minute delays from flaggers and pilot cars and watch for equipment on the roadway. All corridor trails remain open.

Deputy Commissioner Katherine Keith told the Senate Transportation Committee on Sept. 24 that "a total of $235 million of new work" is programmed over four years, with another major stage beginning in fiscal 2027. That work is in the draft 2027 to 2030 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, open for public comment until 5 pm Oct. 29.