Home / Environment / Denali's Road Reborn: Bridge Spans Landslide's Scar
Denali's Road Reborn: Bridge Spans Landslide's Scar
6 Sep
Summary
- A new $230 million bridge spans Denali's unstable landslide.
- Full bus service to the western Denali Park Road resumes in 2027.
- The bridge replaces a road section destroyed by a 2021 landslide.
A massive landslide in August 2021 destroyed a section of Denali National Park's only road, severing access to the Alaska wilderness. Five years later, the recently completed Pretty Rocks Bridge now spans the unstable ground, marking a significant step towards full road restoration.
The roughly $230 million project features a 475-foot steel truss bridge constructed near Mile 45. It bypasses the active landslide, offering a stable, long-term solution unlike previous road rebuilds. This engineering marvel was assembled on one side and launched across the slide in August 2025.
Full bus service along the Denali Park Road, which had been restricted to East Fork (Mile 43) since the 2021 closure, is expected to resume in 2027. This will restore access to key destinations like Eielson Visitor Center and Wonder Lake.
Construction also included road approaches, retaining structures, and slope stabilization. In 2026, workers completed additional work and rock scaling. The bridge's design incorporates thermosiphons to keep permafrost stable, ensuring its longevity over the moving earth.
