Road construction season underway in the Mat-Su

WASILLA — Local drivers will likely see fewer orange barrels and warning signs along local roads this summer, but construction season won't be without traffic delays.

The majority of projects funded by road bonds issued 2011 are winding down at the borough level, and more school access projects from a 2013 bond await state funding to begin. But state officials say almost $200 million of road construction in the borough could soon be underway.

At the borough level, the largest project is the $8 million extension of Trunk Road south of its current terminus at the Parks south, said Mat-Su Borough capital projects director Jude Bilafer. A separate component of the project, which would build a bridge over the Alaska Railroad right-of-way and connect Trunk to Nelson Road, is waiting for matching state funds to go ahead. The estimated cost of the bridge portion of the project is $4.5 million, according to borough-provided figures.

Like many roads in the Mat-Su, Nelson has become overused as the population has risen.

“Nelson Road was never designed to be utilized with the current volume of traffic,” Bilafer said.

Bilafer said he’s also received numerous complaints about another project slated for this year: the extension of a paved trail alongside the Old Glenn Highway to the Knik River, primarily because the project’s description lists the walkway as a mixed-use paved walkway. The separated pathway is intended for use by horses, pedestrians, and bicycles.

“People are saying ‘Why are you building a pathway for ATVs?’” he said. “Well, we’re not.”

The separated pathway is being constructed within the state 100-foot right-of-way on either side of the Old Glenn Highway centerline. The right-of-way along the Old Glenn is significantly wider than other roads because it was historically the sole connector to the south, before the construction of the current Glenn Highway, Bilafer said.

The pathway is projected to cost $2.5 million, funded as part of the 2011 road bond issue.

Other borough projects include:

• Minor improvements along the Bogard Road connection to the Glenn Highway, the final phase of a $22-million state-funded project. Most construction was completed last year.

• The extension of Dogwood Avenue and Felton Street, expected to start this year and continue next year, estimated to cost $4.3 million.

• Improvements to the Big Lake and South Big Lake Road intersection, estimated to cost about $2 million. Construction entails replacing some intersections with roundabouts.

State officials are set to keep up the heavy pace of road construction in the Valley. Not including projects in Anchorage potentially affecting Valley commuters — like the $41 million, three-year project to replace the Glenn Highway-Muldoon Road intersection — the state could spend as much as $172 million dollars on local roads this fall.

Some have already begun, including the $42 million project to turn the Parks Highway from two lanes to four from downtown Wasilla out to Pittman Road. Others, like an estimated $10-million project to add a center turn lane to the Palmer-Wasilla Highway from Hemmer Road to the entry to the Carr's Parking Lot, are being advertised, according to a list provided by Department of Transportation Spokeswoman Shannon McCarthy. Those projects could also potentially affect local commutes this year, McCarthy said.

State projects for this year also include:

• Less than $1 million for paving the Point MacKenzie Access Road.

• About $8.5 million to resurface portions of the Willow Fishhook Road, replace guard rails and signs, install new striping, improve drainage and maintain bridges.

• About $4.6 million to improve Lucus Road between the Parks Highway and Spruce Avenue.

• Between $4 million and $8 million to realign less than a mile of Fairview Loop at the intersection with Clapp Road, and improve a traffic light.

• Between $9 million and $13 million to mill and resurface portions of numerous roads throughout the borough as part of planned maintenance and operations, including Schrock Road, Buffalo Mine Road, Jonesville Road, Farm Loop Road, 58 Mile Road North, 58 Mile Road West, Smith Road, Maud Road, Huntley Road, 49th State Street, Old Trunk Road, and Marsh Road.

• About $13 million to repave the northbound and southbound lanes of the Glenn Highway.

The majority of state projects will be funded with federal State Transportation Improvement Plan funds from the federal government, McCarthy said.

State general fund projects have accounted for $42 million in construction projects between 2014 and 2016, according to borough-provided figures, but the oil price slump has put increased pressure on those funds, meaning some could shift to federal funding sources, McCarthy said.

“Next year, you’re probably going to see some drop-off,” she said. “The state Legislature won’t be able to fund projects out of the general fund.”

CORRECTION: This story has been altered from a previous version to correct a misspelling of Lucus Road.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.