Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signs emergency declaration for Dalton Highway flooding

Alaska’s governor has declared a state of emergency over flooding that washed out a section of the Dalton Highway, the sole overland link between Prudhoe Bay and the state’s largest cities.

The highway reopened to traffic on Wednesday, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. 

The declaration, signed June 17, allows the department to bypass some state environmental laws in order to conduct repairs. It also allows the state to receive waivers from federal truck safety laws in order to transport repair material along the highway.

The emergency declaration allows the state to apply for Federal Highway Administration emergency relief money, which may cover up to 100% of temporary repairs and 90% of permanent repairs. 

Flooding washed out a significant part of the highway on June 14, and several other parts of the highway north of the Brooks Range were damaged by high water.