Childs Glacier Recreation Site Open with Limited Service in 2012

Map of the Copper River Highway in Alaska. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Childs Glacier Recreation Site will be open in mid-June with reduced services to the public and permittees. The Copper River Highway which provides access to the popular glacier viewing area and campground was closed at the mile 36 bridge by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) in August 2011 due to erosion and structural concerns.
The Recreation Area and campsites will be open from mid-June through September 30 for public use on a first come first serve basis. Camping fees will be $10.00 per night per site.  Bear-proof storage boxes and potable water will be available. Two vault toilets will be operational.
Visitors are asked to observe Leave no Trace principles and pack out whatever you pack in. No garbage cans will be available. The Forest Service will monitor and maintain the site throughout the summer.
The Forest Service is reviewing applications from several commercial operators for upriver access to the recreation site.
The Copper River Highway will remain closed until the bridge can be replaced. Replacement of the bridge is estimated to be several years out.  Please visit www.dot.state.ak.us/comm for more information on the Highway closure and the timeline for bridge replacement.

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• Copper River Highway Closure to Last Several Years

Copper River Highway closed indefinitely at mile 36 due to safety concerns

The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) has indefinitely closed the Copper River Highway at mile 36 due to safety concerns at Bridge No. 339. The closure will last until the bridge is replaced.

The 56-mile Copper River Highway is located near Cordova and ends at the Million Dollar Bridge. The road, frequented by hunters and recreationists, leads to vast areas of proposed resource development.

Bridge No. 339 is one of eleven bridges crossing the Copper River Delta. Naturally occurring changes to the flow of water between channels across the delta led to a dramatic increase in the amount of water running under the bridge. Due to the increased amount of water, 50 ft of “scour”, or erosion, was observed at the bridge in 2011. The scour resulted in a lowering of the channel bottom that compromised the structure of the bridge and necessitated the closure.

Bridge No. 339 was constructed in 1977. Based upon the channel configurations at that time, bridge designers estimated that water under the bridge would flow at 18,500 cubic feet per second (cfs). During the summer of 2011, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologists measured the water flow to exceed 85,000 cfs.

Channel and flow distribution changes are a natural part of deltaic river systems. The adverse effects of these changes on Bridge No. 339 was first noted in 2009, when the bridge began receiving a greater portion of the total Copper River flow than its neighboring bridges. In 2010, ADOT&PF and the USGS began a comprehensive monitoring program at the bridge that included frequent on-site inspections and the use of bridge sensors that enabled remote observation of the bridge.

ADOT&PF received funding this fall to start the design phase of a replacement bridge; the design phase will progress through 2013 with agency permitting in 2014. Pending the availability of construction funds, the construction project could begin as early as 2015.