(FAIRBANKS, Alaska) – Maintenance on the Taylor and Denali Highways, including snow and ice removal, will cease Monday, Oct. 15, 2012. The Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) does not maintain these highways during the winter.

The Taylor Highway, which runs north from Tetlin to Eagle, will remain unmaintained until early April 2013, when DOT&PF maintenance crews will plow snow and ice from the 160-mile road. Re-opening the road involves five personnel, with equipment, and takes about two weeks to complete.

The 135-mile Denali Highway, which connects the Cantwell junction on the Parks Highway to the Paxson Lodge on the Richardson Highway, will remain closed until mid-May 2013. Re-opening the Denali Highway involves eight personnel, with equipment, and takes about three weeks to complete.

Road conditions for Alaska highways are available online at 511.alaska.gov or by calling 511. DOT&PF urges travelers to use these resources before traveling throughout the state.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 255 airports, 11 ferries serving 35 communities, 5,619 miles of highway and 720 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Get Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”

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