Flooding, Ice Close AK North Slope Highway

Alaska's lone road to North Slope oilfield operations has been shut for days while emergency crews divert flood waters from an adjacent river and oil companies fly provisions to the Arctic region, state and company officials said on Thursday.

The road closure, however, has not affected oil production on the North Slope.

Starting on March 13, the Sagavanirktok River spilled onto a 15-mile stretch of the Dalton Highway south of Deadhorse where operations for three major oilfields are based. Crews were working to fend off highway flooding, state officials said.

Alaska Governor Bill Walker declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, opening up state funds for some emergency response costs and repair work.

Officials had closed the road on Sunday.

There was no projection for when the highway would reopen, said Meadow Bailey, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities spokeswoman.

More than a dozen Department of Transportation workers backed by construction equipment working on the site were grappling with sub-zero temperatures, blowing snow and high winds, she said. Private contractors were also en route on Thursday.

"Trying to control a river, especially with multiple channels in the middle of winter, it's a challenge, almost impossible," Bailey said, adding the stretch of river now features ice accumulation between three to four feet, plus the flooding.

North Slope operations for fields such as Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk and Alpine are home to thousands of employees working around the clock to produce about half a million barrels of crude oil daily.

Dawn Patience, a spokeswoman for BP Plc, said the company is prepared for rare disruptions such as these.

"Seasonal transportation interruptions are not unexpected this time of year, so we plan for it," Patience said. "This includes a stockpile of regular supplies, conserving resources and restricting unnecessary travel to the field."

ConocoPhillips (COP), meanwhile, is using alternate means such as air travel to maintain fuel supplies, spokeswoman Natalie Lowman said.

Reporting by Steve Quinn