Glenn Highway lights delayed in shipping

MAT-SU -- Work was delayed on the Glenn Highway Palmer Hay Flats lighting project due to shipping delays for the 96 light poles needed to complete the job, according to Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) project engineer Bill Klebesadel.

He said the shipping delay occurred after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the East Coast.

"It certainly has caused a disruption in everyone's business and life," Klebesadel said.

A three-mile stretch of the Glenn where it crosses the Palmer Hay Flats was scheduled to be lighted by Dec. 15. Klebesadel said the poles have arrived in the Valley and that crews will back on the job site on Monday, Dec. 3. Motorists should be aware of reduced speed limits and lane closures over the next two weeks.

"Dec. 15 is still our contract completion date," Klebesadel said. Klebesadel said the general contractor, Steppers Construction, had a plan that should get the poles in on time, weather permitting. "There's always a chance of lost productivity due to the weather," Klebesadel said.

Steppers owner John Eshleman said the company was prepared for cold temperatures.

"It's just harder because it's dark," Eshleman said. "High winds could shut us down, but otherwise we'll be good to go."

The new lights are going up along the three-mile straight stretch between the Alaska Railroad crossing and the Matanuska River bridge. Those three miles are a popular place for speeding -- Eshleman said extra patrols by Alaska State Troopers helped keep the job site safe for workers while the foundations for the poles and the underground electric cables were installed.

"The troopers will be patrolling again and we'll have lane closures again," Eshleman said. "It makes a huge difference. It slowed the people down. [Troopers] wrote a lot of tickets."

Eshelman said most motorists have complied with the reduced speed limit. The job site has been accident-free with one exception -- a drunken driver who plowed a car into one of the electric warning signs.

Klebesadel said a DOT fine schedule might take effect if the job is late, but also gave Eshelman high marks for trying to finish on time, despite the problem with the light poles.

"He's been operating in good faith as far as ordering the poles," Klebesadel said. "Plus, [Steppers] has accelerated their schedule to meet the deadline and looks like we're going to meet the Dec. 15 goal perfectly."

This isn't the first time the job has been rushed along. The job was prodded by local politicians, including state Sen. Lyda Green, who negotiated a maintenance agreement for the lights from the Mat-Su Borough, and three years of free electricity from Matanuska Electric Association.

Prior to that deal, DOT was hesitant to put the lights in because the present traffic load wasn't high enough to qualify for DOT's normal construction and maintenance budget.

According to Klebesadel, DOT engineers were also able to speed up the job during its design phase.

All 96 light poles were placed within the footprint of the last upgrade on the hay flats stretch, allowing DOT to avoid the federal wetlands construction permits.

That doesn't mean the poles are on the shoulder of the road -- most of the poles will be five to seven meters outside the white line. The closest poles will be 3.6 meters off the road, according to Klebesadel, but that's only in places equipped with guard rails.