The state Department of Transportation is gearing up for another busy construction season on Southcentral highways, and delays for motorists could be felt most acutely on two popular thoroughfares.
The heavily-trafficked Glenn Highway will see work resume on multiple projects. One is resurfacing north of Anchorage to remove ruts in the pavement. Closer to Palmer, a new project will likely overlap with ongoing construction on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, the only other route into Palmer for commuters between the cities.
It’s still unclear how long Palmer drivers will be navigating both of those construction zones in their area. The state is still soliciting bidders for the Glenn Highway project near Palmer, DOT spokesperson Shannon McCarthy said.
“This is the time of year people are concerned about construction in their area, so I’d definitely say that we’ve heard from folks wanting to hear construction plans, and we’ll know more once we have a successful bidder on board,” McCarthy said.
To the south of Anchorage, there are massive construction projects starting on the Kenai Peninsula, as well as on the Seward Highway, which is getting a new look closer to Girdwood, McCarthy said.
“That’s gonna be widening the (Seward Highway), big shoulders, passing lanes, which everyone will like when they’re finished, and then some dedicated two-way left turn lanes so that folks can get safely to some of the attractions in the area,” McCarthy said. “And then when you get down to the Kenai, it’s actually a huge construction year for the Kenai. There’s two large projects on the Sterling and then of course the Kenai Spur Highway, so a number of projects.”
That’s just to name a few. McCarthy said the best way to keep on top of when and where various projects might cause traffic delays is by checking alaskanavigator.org.
Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him atcgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Caseyhere.
