Palmer eyes options to extend road

July 10, 2007

By Hannah Guillaume / Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Palmer ‘s City Council is casting its glance at Bogard Road extensions a week prior to public hearings on the Seward Meridian Road Improvement Project.

The Seward Meridian project could extend Seward Meridian Road one mile north from Bogard to Seldon roads.

Palmer council will see two alternatives on the Bogard Road Project meant to extend Bogard east from Trunk Road all the way to the Glenn Highway when it meets at 7 p.m. tonight. The major difference between the alternatives is whether Bogard Road will extend north or south of Palmer High School on Arctic Avenue.

Stewart Osgood, project manager, and Steven Nobel, project engineer, will present a comparison of alternatives and explain the future of the project, said Kristi Stuller, a public involvement planner for DOWL Engineers.

&#8220It's a really brief 10- to 15-minute update on the project,” she said.

Palmer council member Brad Hanson said he wants the project to meet Palmer's long-term roadway needs. He won't approve anything that turns out like the cramped confines of the Glenn Highway.

&#8220I think the project is very important for future activities,” Hanson said. &#8220There's a significant impact to Valley trails and the high school.”

There also isn't enough funding to finish the $36 million Mat-Su Borough project, Hanson said.

The state appropriated $12.6 million in 2005, and the design phase is $800,000, according to DOWL Engineers. Construction could to begin in 2009.

Hanson said he will look for tangible alternatives that address budget constraints, options with a minimal affect on residents which at the same time boost economic development.

Palmer council member Tony Pippel said because the project is being conducted by the Mat-Su Borough he isn't confidant that Bogard Road will be extended all the way into Palmer from 49th State Street.

&#8220My biggest concern about it is what happens when the traffic gets to the Glenn,” he said. &#8220Realistically, once this road gets built it won't get rebuilt for more than 45 years.”

Although Arctic Avenue can handle an increase in traffic flow, the light spacing on the Glenn Highway doesn't leave much room for additional roads, Pippel said, adding he agrees with Hanson there is a lack of funds to extend the road into Palmer.

&#8220The project is in the east side of the Valley and those projects have had a difficult time getting funded,” Pippel said. &#8220Oil is at $72 a barrel and we can't get a dollar to fix a road over here.”

Contact Hannah Guillaume at 352-2284 or hannahguillaume@yahoo.com.

If you go

A Palmer City Council meeting on the Bogard Road extension is tonight at 7 p.m. at the council chambers on 231 W. Evergreen Ave. To view more of the extension visit www.bogardroad.com.

A public meeting on the Bogard Road extension is at Colony Middle School at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

A public hearing for comment on the Seward Meridian Road Improvement Project and its extension from Bogard Road is at Teeland Middle School at 5 p.m. July 18. Public comments are accepted throughout the project. Contact Denise Trutanic at 646-0283.

Submit a written comment to

Jerry O. Ruehle, ADOT&PF

Environmental Coordinator

Preliminary Design and

Environmental

P.O. Box 196900

Anchorage, AK 99519-6900.