Paving crew wraps up KGB project

WASILLA -- After a summer of controversy over historic grave sites and dog musher right-of-way concerns, the Department of Transportation quietly finished the last of its improvements to Knik-Goose Bay Road.

The $9.4-million project, which began in late May, entailed improving KGB Road from Mile 1 to the Goose Bay Airport at Mile 17 as well as creating a paved pedestrian- and nonmotorized-vehicle-use trail.

The paved trail extends 7.5 miles down KGB from its start in Wasilla, providing recreational opportunities for increasing number of walkers, joggers and bicyclists in the area.

Earlier this summer, Nancy Sult, president of Friends of Old Knik, led a group of sign-wielding protesters near a portion of the new road and trail construction that threatened to disturb Athabascan and early homesteaders' grave sites.

In a phone interview Friday, Sult said DOT did a good job addressing their concerns.

"They redid their plan to not impact the grave site," she said, "and they even gave us a bunch of flower seeds that we could plant near the grave sites."

Knik musher Kelley Griffin was also pleased with how well DOT addressed musher concerns.

Initially mushers were concerned that paving the trail would destroy the old dirt trail and thereby prohibit them from continuing to mush their dogs alongside the road. According to Griffin, dog teams do not do well on paved trails.

In order to assure that mushers could continue driving dog teams in the area, DOT changed the project's design, which it does not typically do once construction projects begin.

"They have been very helpful," Griffin said. "We established a good relationship with DOT and they really bent over backwards to work with us. They also told us how we can get involved in the planning stages if the trail is ever extended in the future."

A dirt path was included for mushers next to the paved trail. Mushers regularly use portions all along the new paved trail, and when the Iditarod Restart is held in Wasilla, part of the official route will run along the road.

The last stretch of asphalt was laid this week as steel drum rollers flattened the path and crews packed up after a summer of steady work.

According to project manager Tom Dougherty, grass will be planted along sections of the paved trail next summer but for the most part, the path is complete.

The paved trail will be officially designated and posted as nonmotorized. The rest of the trail, however, which remains unpaved, will continue to be available to motorized off-road vehicles.

The final project also included several new turning lanes on KGB, a new concrete arch over Fish Creek and a 200-foot scenic pullout on either side of the road for pedestrian viewing of salmon and wildlife.

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.