THE PROBLEM

For the people (more than 40,000 in vehicles in 1999) traveling the Glenn Highway to and from Anchorage daily, life could become easier.  The project area covers the section of highway between Gambell Street and McCarrey Street.  This project looks at many transportation modes (automobile, transit, pedestrian). Currently a four-lane section that begins downtown and ends just east of the highway’s intersection with Bragaw Street. Located between two six-lane sections of highway, this four-lane segment is a literal bottleneck, especially during peak hours. Traffic often slows to a stop, car accidents occur frequently as a result of stop-and-start traffic flow, and pedestrian and bicycle use is severely constrained.

IMPORTANT GOALS

The project’s focus is the Gambell to McCarrey segment, but the goal is the overall improvement of this important transportation corridor. Our intent is to identify options that will:

• Eliminate the bottleneck, affecting vehicle movement and accessibility offered to others using the corridor.
• Increase corridor capacity to handle future needs.
• Enhance roadway safety.
• Create and strengthen transportation links within the city and to the rest of the state.
• Support and strengthen links to other modes of transportation.
• Maintain the accessibility and mobility of all residents.
• Enhance the livability and sustainability of neighborhoods and transportation systems.

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS

Many options and strategies to meet project goals are on the table for discussion. See the Options and Strategies page for more information on the following preliminary concepts.

• Commuter rail service
• Enhanced bus service
• Light rail transit
• Congestion management strategies such as closing side streets, eliminating driveways, prohibiting left-hand turns, or providing high-occupancy vehicle lanes
• Intelligent transportation systems that use sensors, computers, and electronics to adjust traffic signals and divert traffic flow when needed
• Highway modifications such as grade separations at intersections or additional lanes
• Bicycle and pedestrian facilities
• Land-use and parking policies

SELECTED SOLUTIONS (MIS PHASE)

The concepts advancing to analysis in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) phase include adding one lane of additional capacity to the Glenn Highway between Gambell Street and McCarrey Street with one of the following options:

• a couplet on 3rd and 5th Avenue
• expansion of the existing roadway - solution currently under consideration
• a reversible lane

Supporting transit, bike and pedestrian, and TDM/TSM strategies will be carried forward as part of any of these build concepts.

PROJECT HISTORY

To find out more about the Project History, click the link above.