New draft Mat-Su road safety plan proposes new bike paths, intersection fixes

What you need to know:

• A proposed Mat-Su Borough plan outlines 16 road and intersection improvement projects aimed at enhancing safety for drivers and pedestrians. The public comment period is open through Jan. 19.
• If approved by the Mat-Su Assembly, the plan could help the borough secure up to $25 million in federal funding for the projects.
• Thirty pedestrian crashes, including five fatalities, were reported between 2018 and 2022. The proposed projects focus on pedestrian and bicyclist safety and include plans for separated paths, new crosswalks and improved lighting.

PALMER – A new draft road plan that borough officials will use to justify federal funding requests includes 16 Mat-Su intersection, road and roundabout fixes that planners say could help reduce accidents.

The proposed Safe Streets for All safety action plan includes nearly 120 pages of data, recommendations and steps that Matanuska-Susitna Borough officials can use to guide future projects. If approved by the assembly, the 16 specific projects will be submitted incrementally to federal officials for funding.

The draft proposal is open for public comment through Jan. 19 with plans to submit it to the assembly by April, officials said. A series of public meetings on the draft are scheduled for this month in Palmer, Wasilla and Big Lake. The meetings are:

If submitted to federal officials this spring, the borough could receive up to $25 million for the projects starting in 2026, said Jamie Taylor, a project manager with the borough's Public Works Department. Local funding would also be required for the projects to go forward, she said.

The projects listed in the draft focus heavily on pedestrian and bicyclist safety because those are the most vulnerable road users and because the federal grant program requires funding requests to emphasize pedestrian access and safety, Taylor said.

Thirty pedestrian crashes were recorded in Mat-Su between 2018 and 2022, with five fatalities, according to borough data. Of those, 20 occurred between October and March, and 17 occurred after dark in conditions with little or no lighting.

Taylor said her team developed the projects based on community feedback, crash data and traffic and pedestrian safety standards. They are listed in the draft in order of recommended priority. Several of the proposed projects expand on work already underway, including a separated path for 49th State Street near Colony High School and proposed fixes for Green Forest Drive between Palmer-Wasilla Highway and Bogard Road.

While the plan recommends some ATV-related safety improvements, including adding more "No Motor Vehicles" signs to bike paths to reduce accidents, none of the projects focus on expanding off-street motorized use or access.

Nadara Williams, 79, died near Big Lake in early July when Anchorage resident Brendan Clark struck her while illegally operating a vehicle on one of the area's bike paths, police said. Clark has been charged with vehicular homicide, according to court records. A trial is scheduled for late this month in Palmer.

The draft plan also does not include projects that address pathway maintenance, such as snow removal, because federal grant rules prohibit the borough from applying for such funds, Taylor said. It does recommend that borough officials use local operating funds for that task, she said.

The borough’s road service area standard contracts do not include pathway snow plowing. Snow removal on state-maintained roads, such as those along portions of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, occurs when crews are available, state transportation officials said in a statement late last year.

The 16 recommended projects are:

1. Create an access plan for the Parks Highway corridor from Church Road to Seward Meridian Parkway that includes intersection updates and pedestrian signals.
2. Construct new walking routes for schools, including Wasilla Middle and High Schools; Burchell High School; Iditarod Elementary; Houston Middle and High Schools; Big Lake Elementary School; Meadow Lakes Elementary School; Tanaina Elementary School; Dena’ina Elementary School; Teeland Middle School; and Knik and Goose Bay Elementary Schools.
3. Install new "No Motor Vehicle" regulatory signs on separated paths throughout the region.
4. Improve pedestrian access at Westpoint Drive and Crusey Street in Wasilla.
5. Add intersection improvements and a separated path along Bogard Road in Wasilla between Seldon Road and Peck Street or between Seldon Road and Wasilla-Fishhook Road.
6. Construct a new separated path on Vine Road in Wasilla.
7. Make intersection improvements at Seldon and Church roads in Wasilla, including a new roundabout, lighting and crosswalks.
8. Add a new bike lane and crosswalks on Arctic Avenue in Palmer from Glenn Highway to Palmer Airport Road, plus a new separated path on the north side of the road.
9. Improve Hollywood Road near Big Lake, including enhancements to road visibility, a new separated path and widened shoulders.
10. Upgrade Clapp Street from the Curtis Menard Sports Center to Lauria Avenue, including improved road visibility, turn lanes and brush clearing.
11. Reconstruct and improve Seldon Road in Wasilla from Windy Bottom Road to Lucille Street and from Wasilla-Fishhook Road to Bogard Road, including new left-turn lanes, lighting and a separated pathway.
12. Improve Swanson Avenue from Parks Highway to Crusey Street, including restriping, widening sidewalks and adding bike lanes.
13. Enhance pending Green Forest Drive fixes with a new pathway along the road and a mini-roundabout at East Frances Lane.
14. Add a crosswalk at the southern Colony High School driveway to the pending 49th State Street separated path.
15. Improve intersections along Big Lake Road with new lighting, and right and left turn lanes.
16. Develop a speed limit management plan for local streets where data show a need for traffic calming.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at abushatz@matsusentinel.com