Sourdough Bridge To Be Upgraded. Leads To 42-Camp Sites, Trail & Boat Launch On The Gulkana

Sourdough Campground Bridge To Be Replaced 

Entrance to Sourdough Creek Campground (Photo, Copper River Country Journal) 

 ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Federal Highway Administration – Western Federal Lands Highway Division awarded a $3.2 million contract to D&L Construction of Cooper Landing to replace the BLM Sourdough Creek Campground bridge north of Glennallen. Work will continue through the summer to improve public access to the campground’s 42 camp sites, interpretive trail, boat launch and the Gulkana Wild and Scenic River.

The project will replace the existing 50-foot bridge rated for reduced loads with an expanded 90-foot bridge to accommodate the river floodway and provide a higher load rating far more suited for campground visitors driving RVs and hauling boats and trailers.

“We’re really excited about this significant upgrade to the Sourdough Creek Campground bridge and the improved experience it will offer visitors,” said BLM Alaska State Engineer Curtis Fortenberry. “The popular campground is a local favorite for recreational fishing, berry picking, trapping, boating, subsistence hunting access for caribou and moose, and the boat launch is the preferred take-out point for float trips down the Gulkana Wild and Scenic River.”

A temporary bridge will be installed to maintain summer access to the campground and boat launch. Completion of the new bridge is expected this fall. Potential travel delays resulting from the construction at Mile Post 147.5 of the Richardson Highway should be minimal and include advance public notification.

Funding for this project is provided by BLM and the Great American Outdoors Act, which was signed into law in 2020 and provides major investments to address deferred maintenance needs, increase recreational access to public lands and improve the conservation of our lands and waters. The act allotted more than $376 million in deferred maintenance and repair funds to Department of the Interior land management agencies in Alaska.