A stretch of the Dalton Highway near the Saginavirktok River was washed out by flood waters on Saturday, leading to an 80-foot-wide gap in the only road leading to Prudhoe Bay.

A massive flood has wreaked havoc on the Dalton Highway, Alaska’s critical lifeline to the Prudhoe Bay oil fields, leaving a gaping 80-foot-wide hole in the road.

The 415-mile Dalton Highway reopened at noon with traffic control and some single-lane sections in place, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

Repair work on the Dalton Highway at milepost 315, photographed on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities reopened the road on June 18, after a June ...

This image from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, shows a washed out section of the Dalton Highway in June 2025. (Alaska DOT&PF photo) This image from the Alaska ...