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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 14, 2012
No.: 12-2557
Contact: Brenda Hewitt, (907) 465-4772, brenda.hewitt@alaska.gov

Short Closure of Whittier Tunnel Scheduled June 17, 2012

(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) – The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, the longest tunnel in North America, connecting the community of Whittier with the road system, will be temporarily closed from 1:30 pm until 3 pm on Sunday, June 17, 2012 to accommodate the Walk to Whittier, an event sponsored by the Alaska Chapter of the March of Dimes, the Greater Whittier Chamber of Commerce and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

The unique 2.5 mile tunnel is a shared transportation link, combining the railroad and the highway to access to the scenic coastal town. Named for the U.S. Army engineer who headed up the construction of the tunnel in 1941, the tunnel has been used exclusively by the Alaska Railroad until the tunnel was redesigned to accommodate alternating vehicle traffic on the one lane road in June 2000.

Participants will need to wear hardhats while walking through the tunnel. For more information about the walk, please contact the Greater Whittier Chamber of Commerce at http://bit.ly/WhittierWalk.

For more information about the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, please go to the website: dot.alaska.gov/tunnel.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) oversees 254 airports, 11 ferries serving 35 communities, 5,700 miles of highway and 660 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of DOT&PF is to “Get Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”

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