Local officials seek to fast-track road improvements

Frontiersman

PALMER — City officials here want to move area transportation plans into the fast lane.

Area government entities held a meeting this past week to discuss how long-range transportation plans can be addressed more immediately, said Bill Allen, Palmer city manager. Overall, area officials hope to revisit the Mat-Su Borough Long Range Transportation Plan to review how it impacts communities and come up with a speedy approach to transportation needs across the Borough.

“We can’t wait 10 to 15 years,” Allen said. “We need improvements in our transportation system immediately.”

The Borough’s long-range plan anticipates the local population will double by 2025 to about 160,000 residents. The plan focuses on transportation projects that will help deal with a growing number of people and vehicles by reducing congestion, increasing safety and minimizing impacts of roads on neighborhoods.

The plan calls for 16 base level transportation projects, including improvements to the Glenn Highway, Parks Highway and other roadways throughout the Borough. In addition to projects that need to be addressed by 2025, the plan outlines six major improvements that need to be completed by 2015. Those projects include upgrades to Knik-Goose Bay Road, Palmer-Wasilla Highway, Old Glenn Highway and Bogard Road.

Although having a long-range plan is beneficial for future development, Allen said more timely improvements and expansions are needed to solve the transportation problems the area is experiencing today.

“We need to accelerate the current schedule of the construction for those projects,” Allen said.

A recent tragic accident on the Glenn Highway — a three-car collision that resulted in three deaths — is one example that work need to be done sooner rather than later, Allen said. With the accident happening close to Palmer, it reaffirms the need to look closely at the Palmer side of the South Glenn Highway.

The Glenn Highway from the Glenn-Parks Highway Interchange to Palmer has several problems, he said. As a two-lane highway, the Glenn already carries more traffic than it should. Add that to other negative attributes like poor lighting and dangerous curves, and the combination is a recipe for disaster.

With its problems and perils, the Glenn Highway corridor is one of the transportation issues Palmer wants to address now, Allen said.

Along with health and safety issues, transportation is important for other areas of interest. Allen said. Without sufficient access to businesses or large events like the Alaska State Fair, cities face losing valuable income.

“It’s also critical for economic growth,” Allen said. “You got to have a good highway in and out of your community to be able to compete in terms of economic development.”

Brad Sworts, transportation and environmental manager for the Mat-Su Borough, said the transportation plan outlines major projects needed throughout the Borough, but discussion among Palmer, Wasilla, Houston and the Borough will help prioritize.

“There are a group of projects called the base level projects that we feel we need to have done by 2025, because if we don’t we’re going to have major congestion in the Valley,” Sworts said.

Many two-lane roads throughout the Valley are overloaded, Sworts said. When average daily traffic (ADT) reaches more than 10,000 vehicles, roads should be upgraded to four lanes.

Along with expanding roadways to relieve pressure, Sworts said it is important to establish a system of arterials and collectors.

Many Valley motorists travel on highways like the Parks for short stop-and-go errands, he said. This creates unneeded traffic on those highways.

“What we want to do is to take pressure off the major highways by putting together a good collector network,” he said..