Couplet could be in place by 2017

WASILLA — More than three decades of frustration with traffic congestion through downtown may finally be nearing a solution.

State engineers and planners are winding down the environmental assessment phase of a plan that would upgrade roads and reroute downtown traffic through a pair of one-way north-south streets, known as a couplet. If all goes well, the Wasilla Main Street Rehabilitation Project (aka Wasilla couplet) could begin construction by 2016 and be completed by 2017, said Kelly Petersen, project manager for the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

“We haven’t got into phasing plans at this point, but I don’t think it would be really any more than a year of construction for this project,” she said.

Because 90 percent of the estimated $23 million project is federal money, the state has to jump through more hoops to satisfy requirements for using that funding, Petersen said. That’s what brought the project team to Wasilla Wednesday evening to take public comments on the federally required environmental assessment (EA) of the plan. In that draft document, the state and city really only have two viable options to consider.

One is called the “do nothing” option, which would leave downtown traffic flow as-is. Doing nothing is not recommended, according to the document.

“Congestion and delay would persist, ultimately reaching unacceptable levels,” the draft EA says.

Option two is the couplet, which would make Main Street/Knik-Goose Bay Road one-way southbound from Bogard Road to about Enter Place. Conversely, a new intersection would be built at Yenlo/Talkeena streets, which would be a one-way, northbound roadway for that same stretch. That creates a loop and a much-needed north-south alternative to a badly overloaded Main Street, Petersen said.

During the initial planning phase, one of the public concerns Petersen said she’s heard the most is about the railroad crossings at KGB and Talkeetna Street. After talking with Alaska Railroad Corp., she said the railroad is firmly behind the couplet.

“They’ve supported this and they like that we’re going for one-way streets,” she said. “Right now, they can’t get the arms (at the crossings) that come down and completely stop traffic,” she said. “But if we have two one-way roads, they can completely stop traffic from crossing. They can have the arms that come down and completely prevent anyone from getting trapped on the tracks.”

Aside from traffic flow, one of the most noticeable changes in the plan is the addition of seven new traffic lights at intersections along Main/KGB and Yenlo/Talkeetna streets. Because the idea is to funnel more cars more efficiently through the downtown area, the timing of those lights is important, Petersen said.

“Timing is going to be crucial there,” she said, adding that the couplet plan also allows Wasilla to achieve something its wanted for a long time — to be more pedestrian friendly.

“We’re putting pedestrian sidewalks on both sides, some sections we’ll have a separated pathway for bikes,” she said. “We’re really planning to have pedestrian continuity throughout the whole downtown area. It will be more of the traditional downtown core feel.”

Safety first

One of the main reasons Wasilla needs a better traffic flow through its downtown area is safety, according to the draft environmental assessment. A study from 1999 to 2008 shows that five of seven intersections affected by the couplet project are above what the state considers the “critical limit” for accidents.

DOT information presented at Wednesday’s public meeting shows that area experienced 510 accidents during that time period. Estimates with the couplet in place over that same time period would reduce accidents overall by 10.2 percent. That estimate includes a decrease of about 150 accidents on Main Street, which has the highest level of accidents in the downtown area. It also factors in an expected increase by creating a new intersection at Yenlo/Talkeetna and the Parks Highway.

Wasilla’s own comprehensive plan adopted in 2011 identifies the intersection of Main Street and the Parks Highway as a “critical bottleneck.”

What’s next?

Although the end is in sight, there are still plenty of federal hoops to jump through before getting there, Petersen said. For now, public comment on the draft environmental assessment continues through Dec. 6. After that, planners will move on to completing the environmental impact portion of the approval process.

“We’ll gather all the comments and we’ll respond to all the comments and see which comments can be accommodated in our design,” she said. “The next step is to prepare a finding of ‘no significant impact.’”

From there, it’s time for more funding to do final design work, then for construction.

“We’re only funded through the environmental document,” she said. “We’re not allowed to do any further design until we get that approval.”

Although the project hasn’t been fully funded, Petersen said she’s confident when the time comes, there will be money to build the couplet.

“The political wind is that this project is a priority,” she said.

Another hurdle is securing the rights of way needed for the Yenlo/Talkeetna streets upgrades, the draft EA says. It’s estimated the project would need to acquire about 8 acres of right of way to accommodate the improvements. Those would mostly come from bits and pieces of land from an estimated 34 properties in the area, many less than .1 acre.

Contact Greg Johnson at 352-2269 or greg.johnson@frontiersman.com.

• People who want to submit written comments on the Wasilla Main Street Rehabilitation Project’s draft environmental assessment can review the document online at wasillamainstreetproject.com and submit comments to Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Environmental Manager Brian Elliott at P.O. Box 196900, Anchorage, AK 99519-6900.

• To discuss the project or ask questions about it, contact project manager Kelly Petersen at (907) 269-0546 or email kelly.petersen@alaska.gov.