• What is happening on the Hillside?
• Abbott, Huffman, O'Malley Roads
• Traffic Projections
• DOT&PF Planning Process

This is the first of several newsletters that will keep Hillside residents up-to-date on the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF)’s planning projects for Abbott, O’Malley and Huffman roads.

We need your ideas, concerns and feedback throughout project development. In this newsletter we will describe each project’s scope, schedules and the process we are undertaking to upgrade these roads in your area.

Look for the Hillside Roads hotline, world wide web address and contact names and telephone numbers in this newsletter to allow you to give us feedback.

Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility has been installing new water transmission lines along the north side of Abbott Road, between Abbott Loop Road and Service High School over the summer. The new lines will transport water from Eklutna Lake to a reservoir site west of Service High School. Water from the reservoir will serve the Anchorage Bowl during peak use hours. Placement of the water lines will be completed before options for the Abbott Road project are developed.

The Anchorage School District is constructing a new elementary school west of Service High School. The school will be open in fall of 2000.

The state is finalizing contract negotiations with a consultant to design improvements to lower DaArmoun Road from Westwind Drive to East 104th Street. The project will reconstruct the roadbed, add shoulders and a separated pathway will be included on the north side of the road. Left turn pockets and lighting may be added at some intersections including the Elmore Road/DeArmoun Road intersection near the location of the New South Anchorage Area high school. Construction is currently planned for 2002. For more information contact Therese Stokes, ADOT&PF project manager at 269-0592.

The Abbott Road project will be engineered completely in-house by Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The project scope is to reconstruct Abbott Road from Lake Otis Boulevard to Birch Road. Surveyors are currently gathering existing ground information and nearby structure locations. Road improvements are not determined at this time.

Design concepts range from repaving the existing 2-lane road and shoulders to construction of a 4 or 5 lane road. Curb & gutter and construction of either a separated pathway or sidewalk on one or both sides of the road will be considered. Each major intersection will be evaluated to determine the need for turn lanes, additional signs or traffic signals. Sight distance issues will also be considered. Environmental impacts of each design concept will be studied, including air quality, noise levels, school and park properties, and the filling in of wetlands.

A meeting to discuss design concepts and collect public input will take place on October. 19^th, from 5:00 to 10:00 PM, in the Service High School cafeteria. The meeting will be hosted in a "open house" format with a formal presentation at 6:00 p.m. A question and answer period will follow the formal presentation. Residents are encouraged to attend, ask questions and submit comments.

The Huffman Road project corridor is from Old Seward Highway to Lake Otis Parkway. The segment from Old Seward Highway to the New Seward Highway carries an average of 12,000 vehicles per day and the segment from New Seward to Lake Otis carries an average of 6,500 vehicles per day. The roadway at the west end of the corridor (New Seward Highway to Old Seward Highway) is a three lane section with a mixture of curb and gutter and ditch drainage. Pedestrian facilities are limited to unconnected sections of sidewalk along the north side near the Old and New Seward Highways. The properties on the west end are predominantly commercial with driveway access to Huffman Road.

The roadway at the east end of the corridor (New Seward Highway to Lake Otis Parkway) is a two lane section with the exception of an east bound left turn lane at Lake Otis Parkway and the turn and merge lanes associated with the interchange at the New Seward Highway. Pedestrian facilities are limited to a combination of separated trail and sidewalk along the south side of the road. The two lane section does not accommodate the high volume of turning movements identified at Gregory Road.

Huffman Road provides access to an active commercial district and a growing Hillside population. The purpose of this project is to identify upgrades required to improve access through this corridor, to improve turning movements, to enhance pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and bring Huffman Road up to current standards for alignment, grade, width, drainage, lighting, general safety, and surfacing. Capacity improvements to meet the 20 year projected traffic volumes will also be considered. Safety improvements may include addition of wider shoulders, left turn lanes at major intersections, improved visibility, and lighting.

The scope of the project is to reconstruct O’Malley Road from New Seward Highway to Hillside Drive. O’Malley Road carries an average of 14,700 vehicles per day between the New Seward Highway and Lake Otis Parkway, 12,500 between Lake Otis and Birch and 9,750 to 7,335 in the upper stretches. The project will consider wider shoulders, left-turn lanes at intersections with major residential streets, improved visibility, safety improvements, and other needs such as lighting and drainage. Pedestrian facility needs will also be evaluated. Do we need a separated path or a sidewalk? Should pedestrian facilities be on one or both sides of the road? We will look at environmental impacts such as air quality, noise levels and the filling in of wetlands.

The engineering firm of Lounsbury and Associates, under contract to the DOT&PF will be leading these efforts. They are currently working on traffic projections for the project. An agency scoping meeting has been held and we are asking the public for input. There will be an Open House Public Meeting on November 1^st at O'Malley's on the Green from 4:30 to 8:00 PM. A presentation will take place at 6:00 PM. Residents are encouraged to attend, ask questions and submit comments.

DOT&PF’s consultant, Lounsbury & Associates, is addressing this question. By looking at the entire Hillside road network--planned improvements to these and other Hillside roads--Lounsbury will develop traffic projections for the next 20 years.

This phase develops the project scope and concepts and evaluates the environmental impacts of a project with engineering analysis and agency and public input. By the end of this phase we will have an approved environmental document from the Federal Highway Administration. Abbott, O’Malley, and Huffman are currently in this phase of project development.

In this phase construction documents are prepared for a new road or for the improvements to an existing road. It is in this phase that engineers may meet with individual property owners to work out driveway details, identify utilities that need to be relocated and determine if additional right-of-way is needed for the project.

During this phase, all permits and right-of-way are obtained for construction of the proposed improvements.

Construction of road improvements generally takes place in the short summer construction season and can take two years or more to complete depending on the size of the project.

Abbott Road - Lake Otis Blvd. to Birch Road

State of Alaska DOT
Project Manager: Jim Childers, P.E.
jim_childers@dot.state.ak.us
P.O. Box 196900
Anchorage, Alaska 99519-6900
(907) 269-0544 - fax 243-6927

Huffman Road - Old Seward Hwy to Lake Otis Blvd.

DOWL Engineers

Project Manager: Stuart Osgood, P.E.
sosgood@dowl.com
4040 "B" Street
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
(907) 562-2000 - fax 563-3953

State of Alaska DOT

Project Manager: Miriam McCulloch
miriam_tanaka@dot.state.ak.us
(907) 269-0546

O'Malley Road - New Seward Hwy. to Hillside Dr.

Lounsbury and Associates

Project Manager: Jim Sawhill, P.E.
jsawhill@lounsburyinc.com
723 West 6^th Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
(907) 272-5451 - fax 272-9065

State of Alaska DOT

Project Manager: Miriam McCulloch
miriam_tanaka@dot.state.ak.us
(907) 269-0546