Photo coutesy Shawn Lovell via Facebook Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - State DOT avalanche control workers brought down an impressive slide from Mount Roberts Thursday as they eliminated the danger of a snowpack blocking Thane Road.
The department s Sam Dapcevich says there was approximately six feet of fresh snow on top. It fell on a weak layer of snow, he says.
Rather than use the Daisy Bell equipment like is normally done, the crew opted to use explosives this time. Dapcevich says the explosives were able to penetrate deeper than the Daisy Bell device. They got a big slab to break free and it came down the mountain and deposited about two feet from the powder cloud on Thane Road, which they were able to clean up pretty quickly, he says. The road opened again shortly after one p.m. It was originally scheduled to open at Noon