Part of governor’s roads plan will serve gasline construction needs

Petroleum News

Among Anchorage-area road projects proposed by Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski Dec. 14 are two that would benefit a proposed natural gas pipeline project.

The governor said in a statement that “by investing in projects in east Anchorage that clear up the significant traffic congestion problems we have there, we can also create a major truck route through Anchorage that will serve construction of the natural gas pipeline.”

The Dowling Road east extension, pegged at $19 million, would create a truck bypass route that supports the gas pipeline construction. The project includes reconstructing 2,100 feet of Dowling Road between Lake Otis Parkway and Norm Street to five lanes and a 3,200-foot extension of Dowling to the new Abbott Loop Road (Bragaw Street); this portion would be four lanes.

On the other side of Anchorage, the $30 million proposed for construction of the Glenn Highway-Bragaw Street interchange would “resolve one of the most severe traffic bottlenecks in Southcentral,” the state said. This is a major truck route between the Port of Anchorage and points north and east, and “will also serve in the ramp-up for construction of the natural gas pipeline.”

The Glenn Highway would be built with six lanes at a lower elevation than today and Bragaw Street would bridge over the highway. This intersection work is a high priority for federal statewide transportation improvement program funds, but recent shortage of federal funds has delayed the project. “The use of state funds would shorten the development timeline and accelerate the construction date such that the project is ready for the gas pipeline,” the state said.