A 2021 landslide cut Denali’s only road; five years later, a $230M bridge spans the slope

Pretty Rocks bridge (Image Credit: National Park Service) In August 2021, a massive landslide in Denali National Park and Preserve tore apart a section of the park's only road, cutting off vehicle access to destinations deep inside the Alaska wilderness. Five years later, a new bridge now spans the unstable ground where the road once crossed the slope. As reported by Alaska Public Media, the completion of the Pretty Rocks Bridge marks a major step toward restoring full use of the Denali Park Road. According to the National Park Service (NPS), the roughly $230 million project includes a 475-foot steel truss bridge built across the active landslide near Mile 45. The bridge reconnects the eastern and western portions of the road and is designed as a long-term solution rather than another attempt to keep rebuilding a roadway across moving ground. Full bus service to the western end is expected to return during the 2027 visitor season.The landslide that changed DenaliThe Pretty Rocks landslide forced the NPS to close the Denali Park Road in August 2021. The failure occurred in the Polychrome area, near Mile 45, disrupting access to some of the park's most important destinations west of ...