Anchorage Drivers Complain About Problem Intersections

Both the city and the state undertook several major road-improvement projects in the Anchorage area this summer. Mormilo says major city projects included extending 40th Avenue from Piper Street to Lake Otis Parkway, the first phase of a traffic-calming project along 9th Avenue from A Street to C Street, and the reconstruction of 72nd Avenue from Lake Otis to Brayton Drive.

According to DOT spokesperson Rick Feller, this summer the state installed new roundabouts at Huffman Road and the New Seward Highway, repaved a section of New Seward in South Anchorage, and installed of about 300 new lights along a 10-mile stretch of the Glenn Highway from South Birchwood to Eklutna.

“A better-lit highway is a safer highway,” Feller said of the Glenn Highway project.

Feller says safety is DOT’s top priority. He says the state’s response to complaints about problem intersections is very simple, since the department has its own maintenance and operations crews on standby to fix signage and remove vegetation.

“We’ll go out and inspect them,” Feller said. “Cost (of simple repairs) isn’t really a factor.”

Feller acknowledged drivers’ concerns about trees planted by the state during the Elmore Road project, noting that DOT workers had visited the area before.

“Certainly we have dealt with some sight-distance issues along Elmore,” Feller said.

Feller says DOT welcomes, not opposes, public interest in road maintenance, emphasizing the importance of state officials being told about downed signs or dangerous sight obstructions.

“You know, they’re part of our team,” Feller said. “We rely on these folks to let us know what they see out there.”

Mormilo echoed that sentiment, saying she’s lived in Anchorage almost all her life but hasn’t personally driven every road in the city.

“It’s an education process, and we need to learn where these things are before we can fix them,” Mormilo said.

The city traffic division can be reached by phone at 343-8406, as well as through an online contact form on the city website. DOT maintenance crews in Anchorage can be reached by phone at 338-1466.

General information on Anchorage road closures can be found on the ANCRoads Twitter feed, with state road closures marked on maps at 511.alaska.gov.