Road repairs set

Borough plans large, small projects for summer

March 11, 2007

By Russell Stigall

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Extend, widen, straighten and secure, the Mat-Su borough is geared up for

a big summer of road

construction.

For just the &#8220smaller” projects, Keith Rountree, director of public works, said the borough has between 50 and 75 planned.

&#8220We have a slew of these projects,” Rountree said.

The smaller projects are ones where the borough needs to rebuild a road, or where flooding problems require the borough to raise a road. Small projects also add ingress and egress to subdivisions.

&#8220The majority of them are less than $100,000,” Rountree said.

That project list does not include pothole fills.

Nor does it include larger projects, like the $15.6 million Point MacKenzie Road upgrade and paving. A large grant will pay for that upgrade, Rountree said, which covers Point Mac Road from the intersection with Burma Road to the Port MacKenzie dock road: approximately 14.4 miles.

Borough contractors will build the northern two-thirds to national highway and DOT standards. Borough standard road design will dictate the width and curve radius of the southern third.

Commuters know ongoing road construction can slow familiar routes to and from home. Regarding which summer construction project likely would snarl traffic most, Rountree said &#8220I would suspect the Point Mac, that would be the most disruptive.”

The project calls for removing curves and straightening the existing road in many places, Rountree said. During the two-year project, the

borough also must clear

rights-of-way.

&#8220Cars going down that road are going to have to be cautious of heavy equipment,” Rountree said.

By comparison, the Trunk Road extension south is new road, so it won't disrupt traffic as much, he said.

The borough will work with the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to upgrade many Valley roads.

When the Mat-Su Borough was formed, the state began transferring roads to the borough for upkeep and repair. The transfer is not complete, so for several more decades, a mix of state and borough roads will criss-cross the Valley.

In general, the borough pays for road construction projects using capital funding from 16 road service areas, state funding from the Legislature, federal earmarks and dust control funds.

Road service areas self-impose a mill tax, a portion of which goes to upgrade and maintain roads within the area. This year, the RSA program grew to about $2.5

million.

The major focus of these projects is to provide safe, well maintained driving surfaces for borough residents, Rountree said.

&#8220We will be completing several road projects within each of the 16 road service areas this summer,” he said.

Rountree wrote legislation for a Blue Ribbon Task Force, which recently was approved by the borough assembly. The task force will address the borough's lack of funding for its many road improvement needs.

One example: the borough does not have the money to maintain its many bridges. Bridges more than 25 feet are maintained by the state, and smaller ones are maintained by the borough. Maintaining these bridges would run borough funds dry.

&#8220It is a huge legal liability issue,” Rountree said, and one the task force will have to

tackle.

&#8220What I hope to accomplish goes back to the funding,” Rountree said. &#8220We have three road service areas in trouble. One doesn't have funds to fund its maintenance contract, the other two will have same problem in the next couple years.”

Rounder's task force will try to balance construction needs with RSA funds.

&#8220The present RSA model just isn't working,” Rountree said.

The borough also has $6 million for roads from the state. Rountree said the borough needs this level of state funding in the years to come to return roads to a proper level. However, he said, funding is not keeping pace with population growth.

Through vehicle registration taxes, the borough also generated $1.18 million in dust control funds. The borough gets a portion of these funds to pave gravel roads.

The borough is working with HDR Alaska, an engineering and planning firm, to develop its first long range transportation plan since the 1980s.

Rountree compiled a snapshot of projects the borough considers large:

€ A project to extend Seldon Road will cost the borough $1.8 million. The crushed aggregate placement and paving is scheduled to begin in June. Due to heavy rains last fall, more material than expected had to be excavated for a more stable foundation. The borough is trying to obtain funds to cover the extra material and excavation. However, if extra funds are not found, the project will be scaled back from a 40-foot wide paved surface with a concrete curb and gutter, to a 28-foot wide paved surface, with no curb or gutter. Either way, an adjacent pathway will be paved.

€ The borough is going to be a lot more connected in the next few years, Rountree said, partially due to a $13 million Bogard Road extension plan. The borough has very few east-to-west and north-to-south connections, Roundtree said.

&#8220If you are on Seldon and want to get to Fishhook, it is a nightmare,” he said.

The Bogard Road extension will bring commuters within honking distance of two major roads, and will become one of the Valley's major east-west corridors. The borough recently met with consultants to review proposed alignments and discuss upcoming public meetings, Rountree said. Design work is set to begin in the summer of 2008 with construction slated for summer

of 2009.

€ The Trunk Road extension plan, at $750,000, will extend Trunk Road from the Parks Highway to Nelson Road and connect Nelson Road to Fairview Loop Road. This is a critical connection, Rountree said, to address increased development, to improve safety and to reduce congestion. This project is a unique public-private partnership. The borough will cover design, environmental and right-of-way mapping, while the private sector covers construction. Rountree said the borough set a goal for the project's contractors to find a way to route Trunk Road without major disruption to homes or businesses.

€ A design study of the Lucille Street rehabilitation project will cost $250,000. The borough plans to upgrade Lucille Road from the Parks Highway to Schrock Road, a distance of approximately 2.5 miles. This study will determine the environmental, design and right-of-way requirements for the project. The final road likely will be a four-lane section with a separated pathway.

In addition to these major projects, the borough will use a federal earmark to lower the hill on Lucille Street as it meets the intersection of Seldon Road, Rountree said.

&#8220This will then allow us to make the intersection a four-way stop, which will make it safer for borough residents,” Rountree said.

The project should be designed this spring, with completion set for fall 2007.

Rountree also provided a glimpse of some of the smaller road projects:

€ Caswell Lakes road service area will spend $15,000 on improvements to Dell M Road, Meleia Lane, Serenity Drive and various smaller roads. The funds will be used for linear ditching and surface rehabilitation of various sections of these roads.

€ An aerial survey of three proposed emergency routes for alternate access to Talkeetna off the Talkeetna Spur Road will be conducted by the Talkeetna road service area. Old Lake Road and Madison Street to Mastadon Road are the proposed routes. The project will cost $50,000.

€ A grant for $75,000 will purchase cross pipe, geotextile and gravel needed to upgrade Highland Drive and Terrace Loop to ensure year-round access for two-wheel drive vehicles. Drainage and surface rehabilitation will be the main issues on this project.

€ Realignment and surface rehabilitation will be done within the right-of-way of Big Lake road service area's Rogers Road, off Lake Boulevard. The work could include right-of-way survey, linear ditching, backslopes, cross pipes, and import of gravel at a cost of $20,000.

€ The $100,000 Meadow Lakes road service area project realigns the south end of Meadow Lakes Drive at Skyview Drive, and upgrades from Skyview Drive to Maryann Avenue to paving standards.

€ The state has plans to straighten Trunk Road from the Parks Highway to the Palmer-Wasilla Highway and then on to Bogard Road. This project is scheduled for bid this fall, with some clearing possibly taking place over the winter. Earthwork likely will begin the spring of 2008, according to the DOT Web site.

Contact Russell Stigall at

352-2267 or russell.stigall@

frontiersman.com.