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DOT&PF > Central Region > Projects >Safer Seward Highway > Home
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Project Number: Z566310000/0A31034
SAFER SEWARD HIGHWAY - WELCOME
Please refer to this site for updates, documents, announcements, and to make
comments or suggestions.
* December 2023: Public Meetings
* October 2023: Project Fact Sheet Update
* October 2023: Frequently Asked Questions
* July 2023: Safety Corridors Audit 2022
MISSED THE DECEMBER 2023 PUBLIC MEETINGS? NO WORRIES! YOU MAY VISIT THE ONLINE
OPEN HOUSE FROM NOW UNTIL JANUARY 4, 2025!
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 near Beluga
Point.
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 five years (2018-2022), there have been 9 fatal crashes on the
Seward Highway Safety Corridor and another 21 crashes where 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
are still happening, and people are still dying.
Crash data from 2017-2021
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.
[Back to Top]
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.
Either of these options could be designed for travel at 55mph or 65mph.
Improvements could be built quickly, depending on funding, or spaced out over a
longer timeframe.
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.
[Back to Top]
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.
[Back to Top]
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. 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.)
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!
[Back to Top]
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.
[Back to Top]
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.
If we reduce serious crashes, we can remove the “safety corridor” designation.
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.
[Back to Top]
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, non-motorized path 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.
[Back to Top]
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.
1. SCOPING – We had a scoping period earlier in 2023 to hear what you all had
to say and start forming the purpose and need statement. This included an
open house, the launch of our website and online materials, a public comment
period, and lots of data and information collected by our environmental and
engineering teams.
2. CONCEPTS – This is where we are now. With all that information and data
collected, we’ve been able to start sketching some ideas. We have an
involved stakeholder working group that represents many local and federal
agencies and community organizations to help us refine our ideas. We now
have a few pretty good options that we are looking forward to sharing with
you all in December at our public meetings.
3. DRAFT EA – After the concepts have been further refined, we will go back and
do a bunch of environmental analysis to see what the environmental impacts
would be. This is where we start writing our environmental assessment (EA)
to record all the information and reasons why the team did not move forward
some options and why we moved forward others. This document will take us
quite a while to write but we expect it to be complete around November 2024.
Will you get to take a look at the draft? Absolutely! We will hold public
meetings and comment period so you can let us know what you think.
4. FINAL EA – The final step in NEPA is a final EA document. After we hear from
the public and the agencies and make any final changes, we will have a final
EA document. Because of the size of this project, the team will also develop
a funding and phasing plan.
This may seem like a lot to go through to finally get to design and start
digging dirt, but this is an important process that takes a lot into
consideration to make sure we are doing the best we can and thinking about all
the parts and pieces beforehand.
5. DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION – Once NEPA is complete, there is still a lot of work
to do. We will be looking for ways to get construction started rapidly in
2025 so that we can offer some safety improvements in the corridor as soon
as possible. Construction will be most likely broken up into segments. This
will help us not impact traffic too much as well as help us afford the
project. If these improvements are going to meet our needs for the long
term, it is worth taking the time to make sure it is done right!
[Back to Top]
9. 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?
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.
[Back to Top]
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