Project Number: Z566310000/0A31034

Safer Seward Highway – Welcome

Please refer to this site for updates, documents, announcements, and to make comments or suggestions.

• December 2024: Safety Express Projects
• April 2024: Public Opinion Survey Summary
• December 2023: Interactive Map Tool
• December 2023: Public Meeting Archive

1. Why

Ask virtually any Southcentral Alaska resident, and they’ll tell you about the time they were stuck in traffic on the Seward Highway for hours because of a car crash up ahead and how they had to watch emergency vehicles squeeze past miles of backed up cars, trucks, and motor homes trying to reach injured motorists.

Or maybe they’ll tell you how they had to dodge falling rocks or ice.

Or maybe how they had to slam on the brakes because a driver decided to pull off the road at the last minute to look for sheep – or beluga whales.

The only way for bikes or pedestrians to get around is within tight shoulders.  Sometimes people dash across the highway on foot to try and see animals or sunsets.

In just the past 5 years (2018-2022), there have been 9 fatal crashes on the Seward Highway Safety Corridor and another 21 crashes in which people suffered serious injuries (Safety Corridor Audit 2022, pg. 15). Crash rates have gone down since the area was designated a state Safety Corridor, but serious crashes have not.

The data shows that since the highway became a safety corridor in 2006, crashes have decreased but fatalities have not. And if you look even closer, the increased frequency of crashes doesn’t appear to occur when more people are on the road in summer; it actually happens in December and February when the weather conditions impact the appropriate safe speed for vehicles.  To date, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) has spent over $100M in safety improvements throughout the corridor, but the improvements have not stopped the worst crashes. This problem requires a more comprehensive project to improve safety over the long term.

Also, there are a lot of people who illegally cross the railroad tracks to access cool places along the water, which carries severe safety consequences. In a recent study at Beluga Point, the railroad documented almost 1,000 trespassing pedestrian crossings in a day. In 2022, one person died walking along the railroad tracks near Bird Point.

We need to make the Seward Highway corridor safer for everyone.

2. What’s being done?

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) wants to make long-term highway improvements on the Seward Highway between Rabbit Creek Road (MP 118 near Potter Marsh) and Bird Flats (MP 98) to improve safety and eliminate the need for a special Safety Corridor designation.

We’re in the process of identifying solutions. And we’re thinking big picture – a comprehensive solution that will last.

One option is to build a three-lane highway with alternating passing lanes and a separated multi-use pathway.

Another option is to build a four-lane divided highway also with a separated multi-use pathway. This could have a barrier or a median in between lanes.

All options will be designed for travel at 55mph.

We could also choose to do nothing and just leave the highway how it is now.

Honestly, though – this is your opportunity to tell us what we need to do to fix the corridor, once and for all.

3. History

Haven’t we been here before?

Yes…and no.

In 2006, the highway between Bird and Rabbit Creek became Alaska’s first Safety Corridor due to the high rate of fatal and major injury crashes. A Safety Corridor is an area with higher than average serious and fatal crashes. The designation means DOT&PF and the Department of Public Safety are tasked by law to reduce crashes through education and enforcement, and DOT&PF is responsible for identifying road project solutions. This corridor will soon be the last safety corridor in the state as all the others have been decommissioned or are on their way to being decommissioned.

The good news is we’re taking all the good ideas and information from those previous studies to think big and come up with practical solutions that consider multiple uses and multiple benefits.

4. Where we are now

DOT&PF restarted the environmental assessment process in 2022 when the corridor changed from 4 miles to 20 miles. But that’s OK!

Today, we’re working on an updated National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental assessment that considers multiple ways to reduce the number of crashes permanently.

We’ve proposed a “purpose and need” statement, which is the basis for everything moving forward, and spent considerable time improving it through public feedback and our stakeholder working group. If a proposed alternative doesn’t meet the purpose and need, it doesn’t fly. (Sorry, all you future fans – flying cars are not an alternative being considered.)

The official Purpose & Need Statement is as follows: The purpose of the Seward Highway MP 98.5 to 118, Bird Flats to Rabbit Creek, Reconstruction project is to improve safety by reducing crash rates and severity, improving mobility and reliability, and safely accommodate mixed uses in the corridor.

We’re looking at options – alternative solutions – to meet the purpose and need of the project. We’re also looking at the area around the corridor to see what might happen to the natural and built environment if any of the alternatives were to be built.

Once we have alternative solutions, we’ll ask you what you think. Are we on target? Are we missing anything? Did we forget something? You’ll help us fix this problem!

5. Opportunities…and Challenges

We know there are no easy fixes, but there are opportunities.

We are working with a group of agency, organization, and community representatives to help us figure out some of the thorny issues. This corridor has so many unique challenges, just the steep mountains of the Chugach State Park on one side and the waters of the Turnagain Arm on the other are challenging enough, to then add on the diverse use, the railroad and recreation that happens all throughout. We are asking them to help us identify issues and ways we can compromise…all with the goal of a safer Seward Highway in mind.

We know there will be things that folks like about the project – and things they may not like as much. It’s really hard to be all things to all people, but we’ll do our best to make the highway safer for everyone.

6. Project Goal

How will we know if we’ve succeeded?

The number one goal is to reduce the rate of serious and fatal crashes on the Seward Highway. We want to make the highway safer for everyone. That would be a huge win for Alaskans, not just for today but for years to come.

Increasing mobility and reliability is another key project goal. From cyclist to commuters to emergency responders, everyone can access what they need, and the conflicting needs are minimally going to impact each other. Having access and the reliability of access we’ve heard is very important and we think it is as well.

7. What we’ve heard so far

Did you send comments in for one of the previous projects? Never fear! We still have them!

One of the big things we heard is we were looking at too small an area. A fix for two miles at Windy Corner wasn’t going to cut it. Think big! Based on your feedback, we’re now looking at a 20-mile-long corridor, between Rabbit Creek and Bird Flats.

We also heard the highway should be for more than cars, trucks, and RVs. The new alternatives will all include a separated, to keep walkers and bikers safe.

And the big question – can we keep the improvements in the existing highway right-of-way? Likely not. With the priority of keeping people safe, we’ll need to make changes to the curves to improve sight distance, add space along the shoulder to protect the road from falling rocks and ice, and keep a separated distance from Alaska Railroad Corporation tracks. (Don’t walk on or across the tracks, please!)

Importantly, we heard you say you want to keep the area’s scenic character. As we develop alternatives, we’ll look at how changes might affect views and look for ways to avoid and minimize impacts to our beautiful Alaska surroundings.

8. Schedule

The team is working hard to move this project forward. The quicker we can make improvements, the quicker we can have a safer Seward Highway for all. But there are important steps needed to complete the NEPA process, and we want to make sure we are doing our best and not missing anything.

In the meantime, we will be advancing smaller construction projects starting in 2025 so that we can continue to improve safety in the corridor while the larger projects are being designed and built.  We’re calling these smaller efforts “Safety Express Projects.” We are in the midst of planning three possible Safety Express Projects:

Project 1: Enhanced Signage for Safer Driving – The first project will focus on increased visibility and improved wayfinding through new signage. Key upgrades will include:

1. 1. Larger signs for better visibility
   2. Curve warning signs
   3. Pullout notifications for safer stops ahead
   4. Trailhead distance markers at 1,000 and 500 feet
   5. Repairing speed feedback signs
   6. Mile post markers in pullouts for correct emergency location identification

This project is already awarded to a contractors and is anticipated to be completed Summer 2025!

Project 2: Variable Speed Limit – An HSIP project is being initiated to install variable speed limit signs on the Seward Highway. You can learn more about variable speed limits and how they improve safety at https://highways.dot.gov/safety/proven-safety-countermeasures/variable-speed-limits.

Project 3: MP 113.2 Ice Fall Slope Stabilization – Starting in 2026, we plan to enhance safety near MP 113.2 by installing rock catchment systems, stabilizing slopes, and improving drainage.

9. Concepts

So… you want to talk about concepts. In December 2023, we narrowed many ideas down to two. We did that after talking with dozens of stakeholders and the public. This is a tricky process because we are balancing many different types of roadway users – whether it’s recreational, commercial, commuters, tourists, or residents, we designed these concepts to meet current safety and roadway standards as well as the needs of both people traveling through the corridor and those traveling to locations along the corridor. The two concepts we are considering in the preliminary engineering are (1) a 55 mph, 3-Lane Alternating Passing concept and (2) a 55 mph, 4-Lane Barrier, Median, or Vertically Divided concept.

Where can you learn more? Take a look at our archived online open house in our public involvement library here. Want a cooler way to actual VISUALIZE it? We’ve got you. Check out our awesome interactive tool that we call “The Sandbox.”

Note: remember these are simply IDEAS with only 15engineering done. That’s just enough engineering to identify impacts and a footprint for analysis in the EA. These are concepts of what could happen and are in no way final. There is a lot more work to be done, but this visual gives you a good graphic instead of confusing engineering words. Are you as jazzed about improving safety along this section of the Seward Highway as we are?!

10. Give Feedback

Now, we have a big favor to ask of you. We need to hear from you. This is a community project that impacts a lot of people. The commuters, the recreators, the drivers, the residents, the visitors: we need you! How do you use the highway? What are some things we should consider? What would you like to see? What features do you use? Do you drive through or stop along the way?

Your voice matters – we promise!

We read ALL the comments and consider them in the design. All comments will be documented in our final EA document.

We want to hear all of it. Contact the team!

Join our mailing list for updates as we move forward and the latest news on ways to give us feedback.

TransportationX

The TransportationX program involves new ways of working that are outcome focused, versus process focused, and emphasize community teaming, agile project management processes, and new ways of resourcing to achieve success. These efforts contribute to our vision of organizational excellence, and investment areas of Safety, State of Good Repair, Economic Vitality, Resiliency, and Sustainable Transportation. The Safer Seward Highway Project has been designated as an Alaska DOT&PF TransportationX project.

For more information, check out DOT&PF’s TrX Program (arcgis.com) page.