Meeting brings chance to be part of road solution

While signs of the Valley's explosive growth are everywhere, nowhere is it more evident than on the area's roads and

highways. Interminable road construction and expansion projects are constant reminders of the increased volume of traffic in and around the

Mat-Su.

Sadly, so are statistics about injuries and fatalities resulting from vehicle accidents.

Some of those sobering numbers led Bill Tandeske, commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety, to recently announce that a section of the Parks Highway just outside Wasilla city limits is the state's most dangerous stretch of road. The roughly five miles of highway extend between miles 46 and 51, the Meadow Lakes-Houston area.

The need for upgrades and improvements to Valley roads is no secret. Mat-Su legislators have all been clear that such projects are high-priority items for them.

On Saturday, they will be part of an impressive lineup of public officials who will be in town either personally or via teleconference to hear the road-related concerns of residents. They will be joined by members of the Senate and House Transportation Committees, the House Finance Budget Subcommittee on Public Safety and representatives of the state departments of Transportation and Public Safety, Mat-Su emergency medical responders and area law enforcement agencies.

This important meeting, which will run from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the conference room at the Wasilla Legislative Information Office, 600 E. Railroad Ave., is a great opportunity for residents to discuss transportation concerns and highway safety issues.

Also on the agenda is discussion of Gov. Frank Murkowski's proposed legislation to designate &#8220traffic safety corridors” around Alaska. Until needed road work can be completed, the governor's proposal is a good interim measure designed to increase public awareness of highway danger zones by increasing fines for traffic infractions committed in a designated safety corridor.

There is much work to be done, and it's going to take a massive team effort to pull it all off. Saturday's meeting is a chance for residents to roll up their sleeves and participate in mapping out the future.