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Smooth Driving On River Road Expected From Tuluksak To Kalskag

Mark Leary

Ice plowing crews are back at their job of smoothing a trail from Tuluksak to Napaimute following several days of sub-freezing temperatures after the New Year warm-up. The crews are expected to reach Kalskag Wednesday and are hoping to get to Aniak by Thursday.

By the end of the day Wednesday, the 25-miles from Tuluksak to Kalskag should be plowed, lined with road markers, and open-water flagged.

An equipment breakdown halted the project just before Christmas when Mad Max, a 52-year-old plow truck, tore a hole in its timing gear cover one mile above Edward Wise’s fish camp.

The crew fixed Mad Max, but now its companion Big Miska is in trouble. Big Miska is an old all-terrain fuel tanker left behind years ago in Kalskag by a contractor. The ice crew attached a plow to its front and had the machine running until a hole blew in its radiator.

Now they’re looking for the rare parts for their old machines and are trucking forward to connect the Kuskokwim villages.

Mark Leary with the project warns travelers that the road’s berms will make the trail susceptible to drifting snow during a storm. He asks travelers to check the weather before heading out on the river and to carry a shovel, spare tires, and warm clothes.

Anna Rose MacArthur served as KYUK's News Director from 2015-2022.