FAIRBANKS — State transportation officials are sending dozens of workers to fix the flood-ravaged Taylor Highway this week but say it’s still too soon to know when the road could be open to traffic again.

Heavy rain in the Fortymile River basin last week washed out temporary repairs on the road. Flooding caused an estimated $6 million in damage to the Taylor two weeks ago, resulting in dozens of stranded motorists and the suspected drowning death of a U.S. Customs agent.

The road gives the Yukon River village of Eagle access to the larger communities of Tok and Dawson City.

Gov. Sean Parnell declared the damage a state disaster on Monday. As part of the declaration, the governor’s office said the state will either use or seek federal funds for costs associated with responding to the emergency, repairing infrastructure and taking steps to avoid more problems.

The highway had been open only two days last week when another 1 to 2 inches of rain washed out many of the first repairs, causing the state to shut down the road again on Friday at 67 Mile.

“All of our efforts have been thwarted by Mother Nature,” said Alaska Department of Transportation spokeswoman Meadow Bailey. “It’s one step forward and two steps back at this point.”

Bailey said DOT pulled its personnel off the project last weekend while they waited out the floods. She said 14 workers were on the project Monday, with as many as 30 maintenance personnel expected today from DOT crews in the region. A contractor is expected to take over the project by next week.

Bailey said there’s no timeline for when the Taylor could reopen to traffic.

Corey Bogel, a Fairbanks-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said flooding in the area had begun to recede by early Saturday morning. Although scattered showers are expected in the Fortymile basin today and Wednesday, he said there shouldn’t be enough rain to spark new flooding concerns.

The closure cuts Alaska access to the Top of the World Highway, a popular road for summer tourists traveling between Tok and Dawson City. It also temporarily halts traffic between Eagle and the rest of the world.

Longtime Eagle resident John Borg said residents of the community seem to be holding up well to the road closures. Although the Taylor Highway isn’t open, plane access has prevented Eagle from being completely sealed off.

Eagle doesn’t have road access in the winter, when the road isn’t maintained, but Borg said residents enjoy the option of being able to travel when there isn’t snow on the ground.

“We like the option of being isolated, but this is getting to be a little too much,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact staff writer Jeff Richardson at

459-7518.