A pedestrian bridge over the Seward Highway collapsed due to strong winds, prompting school officials to create new routes for students who relied on it. The incident caused the highway to be temporarily closed as crews cleared debris. While repairs are underway, families on the west side of the highway will utilize a designated bus route.
Rabbit Creek Elementary School officials have implemented alternate routes for students who previously utilized a pedestrian bridge over the Seward Highway . The bridge sustained damage early Sunday morning due to intense winds, causing portions to collapse onto the highway and prompting its closure for several hours. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities worked diligently to clear the debris.
While the Anchorage School District closed schools due to storm-related impacts, Rabbit Creek Elementary and ASD Transportation collaborated to identify families residing on the west side of the Seward Highway, ensuring a safe route to school for their students. Families in this affected area now have a designated bus route, which will remain in place indefinitely while the pedestrian bridge undergoes repairs. It's important to note that the walking trail behind Rabbit Creek Elementary, which runs along the Seward Highway, remains accessible. Individuals who used the trail to access their neighborhood can still utilize it for their return home. The changes will impact approximately 40 out of Rabbit Creek's total student population of 298.Darin Colbry, a resident of the neighborhood since 1983, shared his perspective on the bridge's safety. While acknowledging its convenience since its construction in 1972, he expressed concerns about its stability, particularly during windy conditions. \u201cI would carry my bike up to the bike path from the Rabbit Creek side and every time when I did and go across it would always be a shaky type of bridge, especially in the wind,\u201d Colbry stated. \u201cI think they could do a lot better with this bridge, maybe a different design that\u2019s not so shaky.\u201d Shannon McCarthy, Communications Director for the Department of Transportation, explained that due to the bridge's construction in the 1970s, different safety standards were in place at that time. She also mentioned that upgrades and maintenance projects, including repainting and staircase replacement, were carried out as recently as 2020. \u201cThis is a steel structure and we repainted it with a paint that protects the metal and we replaced the stairs,\u201d McCarthy stated. \u201cWe also inspected this in June of 2023 and we didn\u2019t have any to-do items out of that inspection, everything looked good. This is going to take some real analysis and we\u2019ll determine how to move forward with a safer structure.\u201
Pedestrian Bridge Seward Highway Rabbit Creek Elementary Anchorage Alaska School Closure Storm Damage Safety Concerns
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