Major Rock Slide Blocks Sterling Highway & Western Kenai Peninsula

 DOT Digs Out Of A 2-Day Mud & Rock Slide At Mile 50 On The Sterling Highway In Cooper Landing 

Cooper Landing October 31-November 1 Slide. (All photos, DOT) 

Heaven Help Us If This Ever Happens At Long Lake Hill...

The Sterling Highway, which is the only road to the cities of Kenai, Soldotna, Sterling and Homer was blocked for several days starting October 31st, 2021. 

The incident took place around Mile 50 in Cooper Landing. 
DOT responded with a major effort to clear it up, in spite of driving rains. DOT worked on with unstable slopes, heavy soil, and a lot of debris. 

By November 1st at 1 pm the highway was open to one lane of traffic, and flagged passage through the area,  with waits up to an hour, DOT said. 

Hundreds of miles away, leading into the Copper Valley, the Glenn Highway at Long Lake Hill has similar problems. There are regular rock slides there, too. 

DOT says it's working on bypassing Long Lake Hill with a safer route.