The Kenai Peninsula Borough, the City of Seward and the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management have announced that Lowell Point Road Just south of Seward, Alaska is expected to open for two lane traffic beginning Friday, May 27, at 12 noon.  The road will remain open 24 hours a day until Tuesday, May 31^st at 8:00 am. Beginning Tuesday, May 31^st at 8:00 am, the road will be closed between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm until Thursday, June 2^nd, so more blasting work can be done. 

The free water taxi service and bus shuttle for Lowell Point residents and those who work in Lowell Point and Seward, will NOT be running while the road is open, but will be offered again during times when the road is closed. However, water taxis will still operate their individual schedules so if you choose not to use the road, you can pay for a ride by water taxi by calling Aurora Charters at 907-224-3968 or Millers Landing at 907-331-4040.

Drivers can expect to cross a slight rise in the road as they pass the debris field below Bear Mountain. Large boulders have been placed along the road on the sea side and there are other barriers on the slope side of the road, to mitigate any safety issues. In addition, there is a large ditch below the slide area which is expected to catch any additional debris that falls.

It is important to remember that Lowell Point Road has been and will continue to be considered a hazardous road and Bear Mountain is still considered unstable, and will continue to be unstable for the foreseeable future.  Heavy rains, snow, or earthquakes can cause further landslides meaning work related to this disaster will be ongoing for the foreseeable future.

We want to remind everyone that Lowell Point is open for business again and there are no restrictions about staying there. Like residents, visitors should be aware that current road conditions are hazardous and there is a possibility of road closures or delays due to environmental conditions such as rain or earthquakes or mitigation work like blasting.

Please pay attention to the KPB Alerts Facebook page and the City of Seward Facebook page for information on road closures or delays. If you have questions please call the Kenai Peninsula Borough Call Center at 224-INFO (4636) or email OEM@KPB.US. Call center staff are available M-F 8 am to 5 pm. Brenda Ahlberg will be on Alaska Matters 102.3 K-PEN radio show at 1:30 PM on Thursday May 26, 2022. You can text in questions to (907) 301-6376 where they can be answered during the show. Janette Bower and Brenda Ahlberg will also be hosting another Community Conversation Facebook Live event on Thursday May 26, 2022 at 7 PM.

Response to the Lowell Point Road Landslide has been a collaborative effort between the City of Seward, the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the State Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, and the State of Alaska Department of Transportation. We would like to recognize and thank all those who have been working hard to mitigate this disaster and support the residents of Lowell Point and Seward, like Millers Landing, Metco, Aurora Charters, Harris Sand and Gravel, and many individuals.

Office of Emergency Management

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