Driver says he may have dozed off before work zone crash on Parks Highway

A driver who told troopers he was tired and may have fallen asleep rear-ended an SUV stopped for a flagger in a Parks Highway work zone between Nenana and Fairbanks on Tuesday afternoon, Alaska State Troopers said.

The 63-year-old man was driving south in a 2005 Chevy Cobalt at Mile 324 around 3 pm when he hit a 2019 GMC Acadia waiting for the flagger, according to the troopers' dispatch. He first said fog had limited his visibility, then said he was tired. He told troopers he'd had one beer earlier in the day, and a preliminary breath test showed no alcohol.

Both drivers wore seat belts. Paramedics took the Cobalt driver to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. The Cobalt was totaled. The Acadia's rear bumper was damaged, but troopers said the SUV remained functional. Troopers cited both drivers but didn't say for what.

Mile 324 is in the hills between Nenana and Fairbanks, inside the state's reconstruction of Mileposts 319 to 325, which is straightening curves and flattening hills on that stretch. In June, crews there were blasting rock cuts and running pilot cars around the clock. The state's 511 road report tells drivers to expect pilot cars at all hours, with short delays, between Mile 322 and 325.

The department says it is rebuilding the stretch because its steep hills and sharp curves don't meet current standards. Crashes in the project area from 2010 to 2021 caused six major injuries and two deaths, according to the project page.