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Officials told CNN that no deaths, serious injuries or structural damage to buildings were reported after the earthquake.
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a few days only.

Unless you are the Ministry of Transportation and Public Facilities of Alaska.

A week after the earthquake that shook Alaska, a quake with a magnitude of 7.0 followed by more than 3,000 aftershocks, the US Department of Transportation 's Department of Transportation. State has become the urge of a nation for the speed of its work – even if its repairs are not permanent.

Department spokeswoman Shannon McCarthy told USA TODAY Thursday that the crews had repaired most of the major road damage in four days.

The photos, shared on Facebook by Alaska Tour & Travel, had collected 1,100 comments and had been shared more than 17,000 times Thursday night.

"Wow! Other states could certainly learn from it … Way to go to Alaska !!" one person wrote.

"It's incredibly awesome! Hooray for the people of Alaska! The desired repairs are going so fast in Texas," said another Facebook user.

"It would take years for California to make this happen," said another user. .

However, the work of DOT is not over. Repairs made since the November 30 earthquake, in adverse winter conditions, are temporary solutions to avoid the complications of transit and crews will resume most of their work this summer to ensure long-term durability McCarthy said.

McCarthy said that 72 hours of work, 24 hours a day, were needed to restore the ramp that was heading north near the airport. Fourteen people worked on the project: seven workers, five truck drivers and two project engineers. The ministry began rebuilding its first ramp. Only three hours after the earthquake, the workers were on the site.

Crews were exposed to freezing rain, light snow, high winds, and temperatures reaching 20 degrees Celsius. Alaska usually only builds from May to September, when conditions are more favorable for long-term repairs. McCarthy said the biggest challenges were in asphalt and frozen ground.

No asphalt plant works during months other than peak months, as the cold stabilizes the oil while the rain and snow add moisture. So, instead, a ministry employee called a contractor to start heating the asphalt two hours after the earthquake, McCarthy said.

As parts of the road collapsed and cracked, workers had to grind the damaged asphalt, remove the wrong material, bring new material and compact the frozen ground. Then they paved and painted.

On Tuesday, it reopened with the exit heading south for the airport an hour or two later.

During the summer, McCarthy said the construction crews would need two full months for a similar project.

"Since the Friday earthquake, DOT & PF employees and Alaska contractors have worked tirelessly to restore vital transportation links," said the governor. Mike Dunleavy said in a statement. "Whatever the challenges, they are committed to finding solutions in record time."

The emergency declarations of the president and governor, McCarthy said, have accelerated the reparations. Support from the Federal Highway Administration has also been helpful, as has planning, aware of how Alaska is experiencing more earthquakes than any other state.

"We are all delighted to have been able to come together and anticipate the challenges we faced right from the start of the disaster," McCarthy said. "In that first hour or two, we were really anticipating what we would need in five days."

The department continues to repair the smallest damaged areas, including breaks that resulted in the closure of one lane. Throughout the winter, he will also monitor temporary repairs.

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Read or share this article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/12 / 06 / Alaska-earthquake-facebook-laud-speedy-road-repair / 2233981002 /