Highway on uncertain ground?

April 5, 2005

KATE GOLDEN/Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - A realignment of the Glenn Highway north of Palmer, near the place where it edges close to an eroded cliff with a dizzying drop, is near the top of the Mat-Su Borough's proposed capital improvements program list, scheduled for a public hearing tonight at the Assembly's 6 p.m. meeting.

Last August, the ground beneath two Wasilla residents sitting on the edge of the bluffs beyond the barriers at the Mile 50 scenic overlook above the Matanuska River eroded suddenly. They fell about 300 feet.

Could that happen to the highway?

Borough Planning and Land Use Director Murph O'Brien said maintenance crews' safety concerns provided the impetus for the project.

"We're going to get the highway on firmer ground," he said.

Brad Sworts, DOT's Mat-Su area planner, on Monday said at the area near Mile 50, known as "the blowhole," in local parlance, "the wind comes up off the river, creating a big slide area."

If the project is approved, Sworts said construction could begin in 2008.

"The road will be safe until then," he said.

The realignment project will be tacked onto the replacement of the Moose Creek bridge, from Miles 53 to 56 Glenn Hwy.

O'Brien said it was premature to talk about the traffic rerouting during construction, since the project is still in the predesign phase.

But he said realignments generally don't create the traffic problems that road resurfacing or rehabilitation projects do, because cars can continue on the existing road while new road is being built.

The capital improvements program list covers the borough's priorities for fiscal years 2006-2011.

Borough code requires the manager to submit a proposed capital improvement program to the Assembly no later than March 15 each year. After the Assembly adopts the final CIP list, the document is submitted to the governor, Legislature and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities for funding consideration.

Every year, borough officials review and revise the previous year's adopted capital improvement program, updating it according to shifting needs and assessments.

The borough's planning and land-use department coordinates the process and solicits public and department input during the review process.

From Aug. 31 to Nov. 15, 2004, elected officials, boards, commissions, organizations, agencies and individuals nominated projects for the list.

Contact Kate Golden at 352-2284 or kate.golden@frontiersman.com.