Ambler Road work pauses after summer incidents in Kobuk

Field work on the 211-mile Ambler Road project has slowed after a series of incidents in the village of Kobuk and a nearby worker camp during the summer. NANA Regional Corp., an Indigenous-owned corporation, temporarily suspended a land-use permit for the road project. The state of Alaska subsequently canceled a key contract with the primary contractor, delaying the schedule for the infrastructure proposal.

The pause stems from three specific events reported in June and July. On July 12, an off-duty employee of Qayaq Construction was checking a furnace at the Dahl Creek camp lodge when an explosion shattered a window. A second worker found the first employee on the ground, actively ablaze. The injured worker sustained burns across his body and was flown to Anchorage and then Seattle for treatment.

Two weeks prior, on July 4, another Qayaq employee was arrested in Kobuk for driving a four-wheeler under the influence of alcohol. The employee was off duty and reportedly had an active arrest warrant for a separate DUI charge. A village public safety officer reported that a different Qayaq employee later told him the company allowed alcohol at the worker camp. Qayaq disputes this claim, stating it maintained a strict prohibition on alcohol at its sites.

A third incident involved a subcontractor employee tailgating a mother and child on a four-wheeler in Kobuk. Qayaq removed that worker from the project and implemented additional vehicle safety measures. These events reignited tensions over the state’s management of the road, which is backed by the federal government to connect remote mineral deposits to the state road system.

John Lincoln, president of NANA Regional Corp., stated in a July letter that the incidents showed the downside of developing the Ambler Road in a recklessly mismanaged way. He said the events put the entire project at risk and raised concerns about the confidence local communities place in those working in the region. NANA had stressed the importance of timely communications, but officials said the agency was not notified of the incidents immediately.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, known as AIDEA, took action after receiving NANA's concerns. AIDEA issued a stop-work order, hired an independent investigator, and notified law enforcement. The agency also sent $25,000 to the village of Kobuk for public safety. Andrew Jensen, an AIDEA spokesperson, said the agency acted swiftly to address the issues.

AIDEA terminated its contract with Qayaq in August and reassigned its Ambler project manager. The contract was valued at between $20 million and $40 million. Before Qayaq departed, AIDEA collected data from 47 sites studying bridge construction, permafrost, and fish passage. Qayaq had employed 16 local residents for the project. The permit was restored on August 31, and state officials say the project is moving forward with a new contractor.

The state’s fish and game commissioner, Doug Vincent-Lang, called a special meeting of the Alaska Board of Game for November to discuss prohibiting hunting and trapping within a mile of the route. This proposal aims to ease concerns that non-locals would use the road to compete with residents for harvests. Vincent-Lang said the regulatory change was driven by discussions with regional leaders. A new governor takes office in December, and the leading candidate, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, has said he intends to completely reassess the agency and its funded projects.