ANCHORAGE, AK — The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) unveiled an updated design concept for the Knik-Goose Bay (KGB) Road Reconstruction Project: Centaur Avenue to Vine Road. The design refinement was based on input from the public and stakeholders to address issues, challenges, safety and future needs. The public is encouraged to review the plans, ask questions and submit comments to the design team.
The Centaur Avenue to Vine Road project is the larger of the two Knik-Goose Bay (KGB) Road reconstruction projects that DOT&PF is moving toward construction. This complex project is 6.5 miles long with numerous utility relocations and around 200 property acquisitions. The total project cost is $125-150 million. The project is among the highest transportation priorities for the Dunleavy administration, and the department is considering options to move the project into construction expeditiously, including advanced utility relocations and breaking the project into several phases.
DOT&PF is hosting a public open house on Thursday, May 16 to provide information to the public and discuss the new design features, highway layout and the potential property impacts with residents.
KGB Road was designated by the State of Alaska as a Safety Corridor in 2009 due to a higher-than-average rate of fatalities and major injury crashes. This designation allowed a multiple agency approach to reduce crashes, bringing together law enforcement, engineering, emergency services and education to improve the safety of the highway.
In the 10 years since KGB Road was designated as a Safety Corridor, the department has invested about $9 million in safety features, including signing, striping and signals. These features have achieved reductions in crashes, however, significant upgrades are still needed. The Centaur Avenue to Vine Road upgrades are scheduled for construction in 2021.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 239 airports, 10 ferries serving 35 communities, over 5,600 miles of highway and 720 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska.