Huffman Road Reconstruction Project

Newsletter #5, October 2004
Old Seward Highway to Lake Otis Parkway UPDATE

Come to the Open House Meeting

Design for improvements to Huffman Road are in progress. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) and its consultant engineers have produced 35 percent completion level design for Huffman Road based on projected traffic information, current design standards, and public input collected since the beginning of the project. You are invited to learn about the design in detail and discuss it with the project team at an open house meeting.

Open House Meeting
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
7-9 p.m. Presentation at 7:30 p.m.
Huffman Elementary School
Multipurpose Room
12000 Lorraine Street(Huffman & Lorraine) Anchorage

If you cannot attend the open house, you may send your comments through the web site or by contacting the project team.

What is planned?

Huffman Road will be reconstructed from Old Seward Highway to Lake Otis Parkway. The new roadway will consist of curb and gutter, a piped storm drain system, a separated multi-use pathway on the north side of the road and sidewalk on the south side.

Lake Otis Parkway to New Seward Highway

The east segment of the corridor will be widened to a three lane urban section with curb and gutter (see illustration below). New roadway features will include a center two-way left-turn lane, a left-turn pocket at the Gregory Road intersection (Bowman Elementary School access), and channelization improvements at the intersection with Lake Otis Parkway.

New Seward Highway to Old Seward Highway

Along the west end of the corridor the roadway will be widened to a five lane urban section (see illustration below). New roadway features will include a center two-way left-turn lane, dual left-turn lanes at the intersection with Old Seward Highway, and channelization improvements at the Huffman Park Drive intersection.

Roundabout to be evaluated for Huffman at Brandon Street - near Safeway/Carrs

The Department has asked for an engineering evaluation of a roundabout at Brandon Street. The Dowling Road roundabouts demonstrate the efficiency of roundabouts and significantly reduced queues. Analysis of a roundabout at this location may reveal similar benefits for Huffman Road. Future project mailings will provide results of this evaluation. If you have any thoughts, please let us know. If you want additional information about roundabouts visit the web site www.alaskaroundabouts.com.

What is the plan?

The road will have two distinct sections. The eastern part, from the New Seward Highway to Lake Otis Parkway will be 3 lanes wide to accommodate a center left turn lane. It will have a multi-use path on the north side and a sidewalk on the south, and right-turn-only lanes at the Lake Otis Parkway intersection. The west portion, from New Seward Highway to Old Seward Highway will be widened to 5 lanes with a multi-use path on the north and sidewalk on the south. New curb and gutter will be constructed throughout the corridor to drain runoff into the storm sewer system.

What do we evaluate to prepare the 35% design drawings?

The 35-percent design reflects decision and changes that have occurred since the completion of the Preliminary Engineering Report — a report prepared to evaluate alternatives in support of the environmental document. The evaluation includes:

Design standards
Purpose and Need
Alternatives
Typical sections
Horizontal and vertical alignment

Erosion and sediment control
Drainage
Access control
Traffic and safety
Right-of-way requirements

Pedestrian and bicycle facilities
Utility relocation and coordination
Pavement design
Cost estimate
Environmental commitments & considerations and
Public involvement

For More Information Contact

Brooks & Associates

Anne Brooks, P.E., Public Participation Coordinator

Telephone: 907-272-6405 Fax: 272-7194

Email: comments@brooksandassociates.info

DOWL Engineers

Telephone: 562-2000

Kurt R.Hulteen, P.E., Project Manager

Email: khulteen@dowl.com

Steve Noble, P.E., Project Engineer

Email: snoble@dowl.com

Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

Telephone: 907-269-0546

Miriam McCulloch, P.E., Project Manager

Barbara Misener, Consultant Coordinator

For more information, project documents and much more, visit the Huffman Road section of our web site: www.hillsideroads.com