FAIRBANKS — After several days of emergency reconstruction, Alaska Department of Transportation crews have completed temporary repairs on the Taylor Highway between Chicken and the Top of the World Highway.

The highway will be open to its junction with the Top of the World starting at 7 a.m. Thursday. No traffic will be allowed through before that time.

Drivers are advised that the road is extremely rough, and extended delays are possible. Extreme caution is advised.

The highway will remain closed beyond the junction, from 95 Mile to 160 Mile, until further notice. Travel to the Canadian border is open, but no access to Eagle is possible. A damage assessment team will survey the highway today and Friday to determine when the remaining section of the highway will be reopened.

Heavy rain in the eastern Interior has caused flooding and frequent washouts that have intermittently closed the highway since July 12. More than two dozen motorists were stranded and one is believed to have drowned before portions of the highway briefly reopened last week.

Additional storms Friday washed out temporary repairs and forced another closure.

The 160-mile highway stretches from the Alaska Highway at Tok to the Top of the World Highway at 95 Mile and the Yukon River at Eagle (160 Mile). It is closed during the winter months and is the sole road link to Eagle, which relies on the highway to transport visiting tourists.

Contact the newsroom at 459-7572.