Glenn-Parks Interchange mostly open

There's no ribbon-cutting scheduled for now, but cars are already using both new bridges built as part of the Parks and Glenn interchange.

The project is proceeding according to schedule, and the bulk of the work is set to be complete in October, according to state Department of Transportation project engineer Tom Dougherty.

The project was funded two years ago with a special $50-million appropriation secured by U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and crews have been working steadily on the project since the bid was let.

The goal of the project, according to information from DOT, was to provide the last link in a non-stop commute between Wasilla and Anchorage.

And it's an important link. About 1,300 residents traveling from Wasilla to Anchorage used the interchange each morning in 2002, and that number is scheduled to nearly double by 2022.

The number of travelers heading from Palmer to Anchorage -- about 470 in 2002 -- is also set to nearly double.

The new interchange is geared to provide a non-stop flow of traffic from Anchorage to Wasilla, Anchorage to Palmer and Palmer to Wasilla. It won't, however, provide a non-stop flow between Wasilla and Palmer. That leg of the intersection will be governed by a stop sign -- a motorist will have to cross two lanes of traffic heading southbound from Palmer to Anchorage in order to get to Palmer on that route.

The stop sign, Dougherty said, should be enough to handle the light traffic load measured in 2002. At peak traffic counts in the morning, 93 vehicles traveled that route. Peak afternoon traffic counts netted a few more -- 141. Dougherty said a stop sign should handle that level of traffic for at least the next 10 years, although the stage has been set for future improvements.

"We've plumbed it for a future signal, if need be," Dougherty said.

Drivers along the route from Wasilla to Palmer got a chance to sample the new highway this weekend and, within two weeks, Dougherty said, both lanes should be open.

Work on the Wasilla-to-Palmer route will continue, Dougherty said, and drivers should be on the alert for changing traffic patterns.

A Valley tradition bypassed

The Trunk Road-to-Nelson Road work will be the last section addressed, Dougherty said, and that leg of the construction will result in the closure of what has become a Valley standby, Espresso Exit.

Kelley Hislop, who has managed Espresso Exit and the companion espresso drive-through stop, Purple Moose, in Palmer, said the last few weeks have been a bit nerve-wracking for her and the baristas at the two shops.

Espresso Exit was scheduled to be mothballed Sunday night -- the last cup of coffee was served at the location that evening.

In recent weeks, the date they were scheduled to close has changed significantly.

"It started off to be one month from now, then 10 days," Hislop said.

Just a few days ago, signs were up around the property stating the Nelson Road access would be closed Sunday.

As a result, half the Espresso Exit and Purple Moose employees are being let go, with those with the most seniority staying on at Purple Moose.

"It's very emotional to know the doors are going to be shut down," Hislop said.

It's a reduction in profit, too -- the espresso drive-through brought in 150,000 visitors per year, she said.

It has been a steady business for 10 years, she said -- they're closing one day after their 10-year anniversary.

The business will be closed up, she said, but owner Rex Turner is looking for other alternatives. Frontage roads in the area, she said, are quickly gobbled up, and there's some danger in building along them -- danger that expansion could, one day, mean the business must close.

They've been through that once, Hislop said. Once is enough.

Hislop said another alternative is being discussed -- a summer stop near Portage. It's a possibility several employees have expressed interest in, and it would be the business' first out-of-Mat-Su venture.

While the Portage idea is being considered, she said, Turner is continuing to press for a Nelson Road exit that would restore access to the Espresso Exit site. It doesn't seem fair, Hislop said, to see a thriving business forced to close because alternative access isn't provided.

"When you walk away, closing the doors on a business you know you've been successful at from the ground up, and it has nothing to do with anything you've done, it's hard," Hislop said. "A lot of people don't even get that far … [but] that's the price of progress."

Contact Rindi White at rindi.white@frontiersman.com.