Road closures, construction continue throughout Palmer-Wasilla area

Ah, summer. The long hours of daylight gives Alaskans ample opportunity to hike, fish, travel, and just enjoy life in the Last Frontier. But there are still some ongoing road construction projects throughout the Mat-Su Borough. Here is the latest round-up:

Seward-Meridian Parkway/Bogard Road

As road work continues for Phase II on the Seward Meridian Parkway, the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that part of the roadway will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians from Birch View Drive to Bogard Road beginning Friday, August 1 at 9 p.m. through Monday, August 4 at 4 a.m. as work gets underway to remove the Cottonwood Creek stream diversion.

Phase II construction has been underway during the summer at the intersection with the Palmer-Wasilla Highway to Bogard Road, and when completed, will be widened to four lanes, link two sections via a new roadway and add needed infrastructure improvements to alleviate the higher traffic volumes as the thoroughfare has become more populated.Work remains active 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Drivers should expect intermittent flagging and truck traffic between Palmer-Wasilla Hwy and Bogard Road, as well as intermittent flagging and lane closures between Bogard Road and Lakeview Road, including Seldon Road.

The Seven Mile Canoe trail is closed and will remain closed until October.

This work is part of the Seward Meridian Parkway Road Improvements Project, a multi-year effort to upgrade and expand the corridor. When completed, commuters will notice improvements, including connecting the road between Bogard and Seldon, a new bridge over Cottonwood Creek, new traffic signals at key intersections, and much-needed additional turn lanes and wider shoulders. Additionally, there will be enhanced access to nearby schools and neighborhoods, as well as a paved multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists.

Drivers should expect delays and plan to use alternate routes.

For more project information, see www.dot.alaska.gov/creg/seward-meridian/

Bogard Road Pavement Preservation

Meanwhile, road work also continues as the Bogard Road Pavement project as nighttime striping operations between Bogard/Seldon roundabout and Bogard/Trunk roundabout, weather permitting.

Glenn Highway

A major highway project stretching from the Glenn Highway and Parks Highway interchange in Palmer is expected to be fully completed by late September, according to DOT.

In addition to work on the interchange, DOT crews have been hard at work rehabilitating three bridges along the Glenn Highway: the northbound and southbound Knik River bridges, just south of the Glenn and Parks interchange, and the northbound Peters Creek Bridge near Chugiak.

Over the summer, the north and south bound lanes of the Knik River Bridge, located on the Glenn Highway between Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley, have been closed at different intervals while crews completed major preservation work. Apply polyester concrete overlay on Knik River Bridges. Crews have been working to start removing the temporary crossover detours at Knik River Bridges, while constructing temporary crossover detours at the Peters Creek Bridge.

Both Knik River Bridges are open, though drivers are urged to remain alert to periodic single lane closures between the following times.

-Southbound: Mon–Fri, 11 a.m. - 4:30 a.m. as well as Friday 11 a.m. –Sunday 4:30 a.m.

-Northbound: Tue–Fri, 9 p.m. –2:30 p.m. and Sat 9 p.m. -Mon 2:30 p.m. Crews will be removing the temporary detours soon.

Construction on both Knik River Bridges is anticipated to be complete before the Alaska State Fair in August.

For more information, see www.glennbridges.com

Meadow Lakes Loop Improvement

For residents in Meadow Lakes, crews have been working to rehabilitate and upgrade approximately 4,990 feet of Meadow Lakes Loop and 1,770 feet of Meadow Lakes Spur to Matanuska-Susitna Borough residential collector standards.

This work includes clearing and grubbing, excavation, importing and placing borrow material and aggregate base course, paving, drainage culvert installation, and sign installation. Drivers should expect delays while work continues.

Additionally, the Fishhook to Pittman transmission line project, involving construction of a single-circuit 115kV transmission line along a section of Meadow Lakes Loop. There will also be construction of a new substation and a transmission line to improve power reliability in the area. The transmission line will run from the McRae Substation (on Sylvan Road) to the future Meadow Lakes Substation (on Church Road and Shampine Lane).

For traffic updates, see www.511.alaska.gov