In the Alaska town of Palmer, near Anchorage, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (Alaska DOT&PF) is reconstructing a heavily used section of the Glenn Highway. The first phase of the Glenn Highway MP 34-42 Reconstruction Project is complete, and work on Phase 2 is moving steadily toward an anticipated completion date in the fall of 2025.

The section of the highway between MP 34 at the Glenn Highway/Parks Highway interchange and MP 42 near Bogard Road/Arctic Avenue in Palmer is being reconstructed into a four-lane highway with a median. The goal of the MP 34-42 project is to accommodate increased traffic and improve safety. This stretch of road has experienced high rates of crashes, with most of the fatalities caused by left-hand turns and drivers crossing into oncoming traffic. The project is adding lanes, widening shoulders, adding turn lanes and frontage roads, and adding a separated pathway.

The Glenn Highway extends from Anchorage to the town of Glenallen, Alaska, at the junction with the Richardson Highway. The 189-mile-long highway passes alongside the Mentasta and Wrangell mountain ranges and crosses the farmlands of the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley.

“The Glenn Highway is a vital link facilitating the movement of people and goods between Anchorage and communities such as Palmer and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Glennallen, and the Copper River Basin, and beyond,” said Justin Shelby, Administrative Operations Manager/Central Region, Alaska DOT&PF. “This corridor supports daily commuter traffic, commercial transportation, and access to essential services.​”

The town of Palmer, like the entire area around Anchorage, is one of the fastest growing areas in Alaska. The Mat-Su Valley is known for its rich farming soil and record-sized vegetables. The Glenn Highway is designated as a National Scenic Byway, and the section of the highway between Anchorage and Palmer provides access to state parks, recreation area, and hiking trails. Palmer is also the home of the Alaska State Fair, held every August.

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With limited space for growth in Anchorage itself, new area residents are building in the suburban areas, adding to commuter traffic. Average annual daily traffic numbers along this part of the Glenn Highway averaged 12,000 to 16,000 vehicles in 2022, and that number is projected to increase to 26,000 to 36,000 vehicles by 2034, per Alaska DOT&PF figures.

“Traffic volumes were increasing and are expected to double by 2034,” Shelby said. “With the increasing traffic, crashes were increasing, especially fatal and serious crashes, and access was increasingly difficult.

“This project will improve capacity, access, mobility, connectivity, and safety. It will reduce congestion and crashes, especially fatal and serious injury crashes. It will also provide a non-motorized route along the corridor for pedestrians and bicycles.”

Shelby said that the Glenn Highway MP 34-42 Reconstruction Project is federally funded by the Federal Highway Administration, and it is budgeted at $148.9 million. Phase 1 is $68.5 million, and Phase 2 is $80.4 million.

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Planning for the two-phase project began in 2008, and right of way acquisition began in 2015. The construction contract for Phase 1 was awarded in June 2018 to QAP of Anchorage, Alaska. Construction began in August 2018 and was completed in September 2020. Granite Construction of Watsonville, California, was awarded the Phase 2 construction contract in June 2023 and started construction in August 2023. Phase 2 completion is projected to be in September 2025. HDL Engineering Consultants provided engineering and environmental services for the project.

Phase 1 of the project focused on the South Inner Springer Loop (State Fairgrounds) to Arctic Avenue (Old Glenn Highway/Bogard Road). Phase 2 continues from the South Inner Springer Loop to the Glenn Highway interchange with the Parks Highway. Shelby said that the project was phased in this way due to availability of funding.

“Phase 1 widened the Glenn Highway from two lanes to a four-lane divided highway from the South Inner Springer Loop to Arctic Avenue, with a 30-foot depressed grass median in the rural section and a raised median in the Palmer core area,” Shelby said. “It included 4-foot inside shoulders and 8-foot outside shoulders and added a 10-foot pathway from downtown Palmer to the State Fairgrounds.

“Median openings with turn lanes were added roughly every one-half mile in the rural section, and every one-fourth mile in the Palmer core area. Side streets were realigned to match median openings, and new traffic signals were added at the South Inner Springer Loop, East Inner Springer Loop, and Colony Way. Frontage roads along the west side of the highway from the South Inner Springer Loop to Colony Way were added to improve access to adjacent lots. Highway lighting was added at signalized intersections and the Palmer core area.

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“Phase 2 is widening the Glenn Highway from two lanes to a four-lane divided highway from the Glenn Highway/Parks Highway Interchange to the South Inner Springer Loop, with a 30-foot depressed grass median, 4-foot inside shoulder, and 8-foot outside shoulder. The 10-foot pathway is being extended from the State Fairgrounds to Matanuska Lake Park.

“Median openings with turn lanes were added roughly every half mile, and side streets were realigned to match median openings. New traffic signals were added at Jimmy’s Drive and the Outer Springer Loop frontage road east of the railroad, along the gravel pits, to improve access and reduce railroad crossings. Continuous highway lighting will be added along the project.”

Shelby added that the bottom lift has been paved, and slopes and seeding completed, along 80 percent of the project. The new alignments have been built, and water and sewer have been installed.

As work progressed through the 2024 construction season, lane shifts and temporary closures were necessary, and traffic was ultimately maintained in a two-lane, two-way configuration with temporary asphalt surface and temporary markings along the new alignment. Underground and overhead utility relocations continued throughout 2024.

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“Currently, work is taking place to complete the last 70,000 cubic yards of excavation on the northbound side, finish lighting installation, and complete the last of bottom lift paving,” Shelby said. “Final paving and project completion is anticipated by September.”

Also included in Phase 2 is realignment of the Colleen Street Intersection and the addition of new frontage roads. This work includes a traffic signal on the Glenn Highway to connect South Colleen Street and East Bradley Lake Avenue on the west side and East Grandview Road on the east side to the highway.

Shelby said that among the challenges being addressed on the project are: a very tight footprint along portions of the project alignment; maintaining traffic flow and traffic control throughout the work zone; and major schedule considerations surrounding the Alaska State Fair.

In addition to the traffic flow benefits of the Glenn Highway MP 34-42 Reconstruction, the project is also expected to positively impact growth in the Palmer area.

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“By improving capacity, access, and safety, this project will reduce congestion and crashes for all users, including residents, tourists, and commercial drivers,” Shelby said. “These improvements will positively impact the daily lives of the traveling public and draw new development to the area. This can already be seen with the planned construction of the new Visitor Center near Matanuska Lake, Alaska Frontier Fabrication and a planned storage facility near Outer Springer Loop, and several planned developments off the frontage road closer to Palmer.”

Photos courtesy of Jonathan Tymick, Alaska DOT&PF