Drivers traveling near Talkeetna this summer will notice a new, lower temporary speed limit on part of the Parks Highway as state officials test whether dropping the limit can boost safety in the area.
The new speed zone reduces the speed from 55 to 45 mph in the area around Talkeetna Spur Road, state transportation officials said. The area includes a series of business driveways and the entrance to Su-Valley Jr/Sr High School. Exactly what distance will be included in the speed zone has not yet been decided, they said.
The lower limit will be in place from May 15 to Sept. 15, a period set to include the tourist season, said Alaska House Rep. Kevin McCabe, who represents the region and advocated for the change.
State transportation officials will gather driver data over the test period to determine whether to make the zone permanent, he said. Officials must study whether to lower the limit after that period through a series of mandated steps because the Parks Highway is maintained using federal funds, he said.
A public comment period will open if results show the change should stay in place, transportation officials said. Individuals who want to submit feedback now can do so by emailing dot.ask@alaska.gov, they said.
Alaska State Troopers will be responsible for speed enforcement in the area as part of their regular duties, Alaska public safety officials said in an email. Last year, troopers issued 3,126 citations along the Parks Highway, they said.
McCabe said he first asked the state to make the change about two years ago after members of the Talkeetna Community Council said vehicle speeds through the increasingly developed area contributed to a major traffic accident.
“You go 45 through Houston, you go 45 through Willow — and everybody said, ‘Hey, can we do that?’” McCabe said in an interview Wednesday. “I think at the very least it will warn or remind people that they’re coming into a small-business zone.”
Officials with the Talkeetna Community Council said they hope the change becomes permanent after the trial period.
“I think a lower speed is something that people get used to — and for guests or visitors, it does at least alert them to the fact there is some population coming up,” said Jodi Rodwell, vice chair of the Talkeetna Community Council.
McCabe said he is working with state transportation officials to conduct a similar speed zone test near Trapper Creek.
This story originally appeared in the Mat-Su Sentinel and is republished here with permission.
