The term “Glenn Highway accident” describes a sad incident involving a collision on Alaska’s main route, the Glenn Highway. Significant damage, injuries, and fatalities were the outcome of this catastrophe.
These incidents highlight the dangers of driving on congested highways and the significance of following safety procedures, even though specifics may differ based on the occurrence in question.
The Glenn Highway, which is well-known for its picturesque views and crucial role in Alaskan transportation, has regrettably seen a number of accidents over the years. These incidents serve as a reminder of the significance of cautious driving and the upkeep of infrastructure to prevent more fatalities.
Glenn Highway Accident
The Glenn Highway was stopped in both ways for several hours on Thursday at the Knik River bridges in Mat-Su due to a significant pileup that occurred in the thick fog and bitter cold.
37 vehicles were involved in the chain-reaction crash, according to Alaska State Troopers. On the southbound bridge, the traffic jam abruptly stopped, causing injuries to over a dozen individuals in automobiles, pickup trucks, and at least two semis. Road surfaces were reported by authorities and drivers as slick, with very little visibility.
According to Ken Barkley, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s director of emergency services, there were no recorded injuries that required medical attention.
According to Barkley, nine borough ambulances and four members of the Anchorage Fire Department or Chugiak Volunteer Fire and Rescue were needed to transfer 13 persons from the area for medical attention. The number of other individuals who reported more minor injuries remained unclear.
At 10:35 a.m., according to troopers, the initial report of a multi-vehicle crash on the southbound Glenn at the bridge was received. According to an update released Thursday afternoon, a driver spun after applying their brakes to avoid another car in the same lane.
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According to troopers, that car and another in the same lane collided. “Nearly a dozen vehicles continued to collide with the initially involved vehicles. With the limited visibility, additional vehicles then began a chain reaction of rear-end collisions, in trying to avoid hitting one another.”
Even after emergency personnel arrived on the site, further collisions happened, increasing the pileup and making it more challenging to approach the location, according to Barkley.
Around 11:30 a.m., troopers blocked up the southbound lanes of the highway near the Parks Highway junction. However, they then redirected traffic on the road in both directions to the Old Glenn Highway, allowing emergency vehicles to reach the scene.
According to troopers, the highway’s southbound lanes opened around 2:15 p.m., and its northbound lanes opened shortly after 1 p.m. Within hours of the initial reports of crashes, the area’s temperature was around -10.
Repairs for both the bridge and an older one on the northbound route might begin as early as this summer. The bridges carry thousands of people who commute from Mat-Su to Anchorage.
Drivers are cautious of the ice spans, especially in the winter, because of the ruts in the asphalt and the sharp lip where the road meets the bridge. In November 2016, there was a significant pileup on the northbound bridge. More recently, on Christmas Day, ice conditions caused a seven-car crash on the same bridge.
Robert Borton, an Anchorage resident, claimed to have contacted 911 on Thursday morning while driving south on the highway to report a hazard on the bridge: a disabled pickup that was positioned along the side of the left lane, approximately 30 feet from the end of the span.
In a message, Borton claimed that the fog was so dense that it took him only five feet to notice the black truck with its hood up. Borton remarked, “He had pulled off as far as he could.”
He said he couldn’t be sure the truck triggered the pileup, but the wreck began at that location within minutes, Borton said. Shortly before 10:40 a.m., he and three other people almost collided with the vehicle.
“Like I said, within minutes of my call, the accident was getting reported on Facebook,” he said. The only information Troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain has regarding the origin of the pileup was that the chain reaction was started by a car slowing or traveling at a slower speed.
