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This road opened December 14, 2007. Speeches from Gordon Keith
with Alaska DOT, Mayor Mark Begich, Representatives Berta Gardner
and Kevin Meyer and Assembly member Dick Traini all praised the
road and future roads promoted under the banner "Connect
Anchorage." See information on the East
48th Extension through the Park.
For a glimpse of the history and debate over this road, scroll
down. (Start at
the bottom to get it in chronological order.)
For more info, go to www.abbottloop.com .
Here are a few pictures taken March 24, 2006.
The picture above shows where the north bridge will be. This is the North Fork of Campbell Creek The gap in the orange fencing is where a temporary bridge is.This is looking north near the Tudor end of the road.
. The picture above is looking south from near the north end of the project. The orange fence is about where the north bridge will start. The pipe on the left is the pilings for the bridge.
The picture above is from the south end of the project where Abbott Loop ends now. Notice that the roads curve a little to the west.
This is a picture of the utility easement on the east side of Abbott Loop. Trees and brush on Wednesday, dirt on Friday. It sure happens fast. They are putting in a new gas line now to replace the existing one when the road goes in. This will be cleared even more when they come in to finish the road.
| Subject: | Bragaw - questions still remain |
|---|---|
| Date: | Sun, 04 Jan 2004 13:43:36 -0900 |
| From: | Cheryl Richardson <cheryl@accalaska.org> |
Bragaw public meeting Monday, 5-9pm at Service High School.
Today’s
Bragaw article was a bit thin on the impact of this road on
Anchorage’s local control over state decisions and how the
road will surely increase traffic - and probably not relieve it -
in east Anchorage. It
does mention that to build the length of bridges preferred by
wildlife agencies, the budget will increase to $50 million plus
from today’s $37million for just over two miles of
road.
Today’s Bragaw extension ADN article contains an excellent map and computer generated illustrations of engineers’ proposals.
Unfortunately, it misses the point that Bragaw is being designed
without an overarching plan to deal with the additional traffic
it will generate.
Are you anxious to have more cars along the roads you
travel? Bragaw is expected to triple East side
traffic between 36th and Dowling, New Seward and Boniface
according to the East Anchorage Study of Transportation.
The state’s engineers gloss over that fact.
What’s missing from the article?
Understanding that the state is designing and building
Bragaw without going through Anchorage’s approved public
planning process. The
EAST study that recommends Bragaw has not been adopted by the
Assembly. Nor does Anchorage’s adopted Long Range
Transportation Plan recommend or approve the Bragaw
Extension. The ADN article says “some version of of
the project has been in traffic plans for decades,” when in
fact, it was rejected by the 1991 assembly and has not been in an
approved transportation plan since then. (I have not yet
researched pre-1991 LRTP’s for Bragaw do you have any
old copies?)
The approved planning process would
ask what are the best investments to move people and goods over
the next 20 to 50 years while preserving what is good about
Anchorage and making it better: neighborhoods, open spaces,
wildlife, fish, walking, and so forth.
Questions you might want to ask:
1. Where will the additional
48,000 daily cars come from to use the new Bragaw Extension?
From an email January 1, 2004:
This email is being sent to everyone on the email
list of people interested in the proposed construction
of a road between Abbott Loop Road and Bragaw Street.
ABR Inc, Environmental Research and Services has been contracted
by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public
Facilities and DOWL Engineers to conduct a study of moose in the
area of the proposed Abbott Loop Road (Bragaw Street)
Extension. Results of this moose study will
be used to assess the potential impacts of the proposed road
construction on moose movements and moose-vehicle
collisions, as well as make suggestions for the
most appropriate mitigation measures (bridges, fencing, etc) to
minimize these impacts.
In order to obtain better
information on moose use of the area, we are looking for
residents of the Abbott Loop Road area and frequent
trail users who are willing to help record moose
sightings along roads and trails in the area. Volunteering
will only take a few minutes a week, can be done at your
convenience and no experience is necessary. Volunteers will
simply record the general location of any moose seen in the area
on simple forms, and mail or email the forms back when
finished. Results will be used to compare moose sighting
rates among areas and seasons. The area of interest is
along the existing Abbott Loop Road, north of Abbott Rd., South
of Bragaw street, east of Spruce street and about
1/4 mile east of Abbott Loop Road. If you live in
this area or use the trails and are interested in filling out a
survey and/or volunteering or have additional questions, please
contact:
Alex Prichard Research Biologist
ABR Inc., Environmental Research and Services
P.O. Box 80410, Fairbanks, Alaska 99708
Phone (907) 455-6777, Fax (907) 455-6781
aprichard@abrinc.com If you know anyone else that may
be interested in volunteering please pass along this
message.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
The September 16 "Scoping Meeting" for the Bragaw Extension was crowded with probably 300 citizens. That's quite a crowd for a meeting like this. The general mood showed skepticism for the need for the road, particularly in light of the "EAST" study that was designed to plan for this road and others. EAST showed that this extension really isn't a critical improvement for getting people where they want to go. What people want is a freeway through Anchorage. What we're getting is another Lake Otis!
The planners from DOWL agreed that another "Scoping Meeting" is needed to accomodate the crowd and volumes of concerns. The date has yet to be set. At this point, the "Scoping" comment period will end October 15.
This project will cost at least $37.5million. If we are going to spend that, it should go for something that is really needed.
DOWL engineers has set up a website for more info: www.abbottloop.com .
Will there be a Bragaw/Abbott Loop
Boulevard soon? The traffic projections in ADOT's "Hillside
Roads Traffic Forecast Report" (by Loundsbury & Assoc,
April 2000) assume the extensions are completed and show the
following traffic projections:
| Year | Traffic | Year | Forecasted traffic | |
| Lake Otis | 1998 | 18,300 | 2025 | 15,100 |
| Abbott Loop | 1998 | 2,800 | 2025 | 19,500 |
| Elmore | 1998 | 1,400 | 2025 | 9,100 |
That will be a rough change for the folks living in the quiet neighborhoods along Abbott Loop and Elmore Roads!
Abbott Road marks the western boundary of the Park. The road will cut through the Dog mushing trails at Tozier Track. That ought to set off some howling! The noise and lights from a much expanded Abbott Loop Road will penetrate deep into the Park.
With State bond money in hand and a study that surprisingly recommends the Bragaw Extension, there remain many Questions That Need Answers:
Additional questions include:
· Which community councils and other public venues will Dowl use to discuss this project with the public?
· Will Dowl restrict public involvement to “open houses” that restrict the flow of information, and to “questions only, no statements” at their meetings as was done with the EAST study?
· When is the public comment stage over?
· Once the environmental analyses, etc. are over, will there be additional public comment allowed?
· How is this project affected by the Federal 4f requirement to consider all viable alternatives to building this road?
· How will the Corps of Engineers records from 1970’s that rejected the Bragaw extension in order to protect the wetlands east of Lake Otis influence this project?
· When is Dowl’s environmental analysis and engineering/design to be finished, by 2004 as Dowl says, or by 2005 as the state says?
· When does Dowl intend to complete its application to the Corps of Engineers for a wetlands permit to construct the road?
·What are the wetlands issues that must be addressed before the Corps of Engineers approves a wetlands permit?
(Identified to date: floodplains that prevent flooding downstream, nearby homes and basements affected by hydrology changes, salmon rearing habitat, pollutants from the roadbed and vehicle exhaust into the wetlands, changing the range of wolves, coyotes and bears.)
· What plans do you have to reduce the impact on neighborhoods along Abbott Loop Road?
· How will trebling the traffic on Abbott Loop Road contribute to the aesthetics and noise factors of the adjoining neighborhoods?
· How close to neighbors on Abbott Loop will the road be built?
· Will you have to seize property to build the road?
· How close to the ball fields will you go and will that mean sacrificing yet more trees along Abbott Loop Road?
· What are the plans to develop lands alongside the Bragaw right of way between 48th and 68th Streets if the road is built?
· What is the likelihood of Elmore being constructed south of Abbott? What are the costs and barriers?
· If roads south of Abbott Loop Road can’t be connected, where will all the traffic come from to warrant the Bragaw Extension and the Abbott Loop “Improvement”?
· Where are the cars coming from and going to from northeast to southwest Anchorage?
· How will this road affect the berm on 84th Avenue? How does taking down the berm tie into the plans for “improving” Abbott Loop Road and the Bragaw Extension?
· What level of transit service is needed to lure a significant number of those projected drivers from their cars?
· What are the future land use development patterns that generate the traffic described in the East Anchorage Study of Transportation?
· How much will this project add to the state or municipal operation and maintenance burden in these times of shrinking government resources?
· This two mile project budgeted is at $37.5 million when most roads cost $2 million a mile. Where do planners expect to bridge across the creeks and wetlands, and how long a bridge or bridges do they estimate?
· Where and when will the municipality’s waterline be constructed, and how will it affect this project?
MONEY
FOR THE BRAGAW EXTENSION IS IN HAND
On November 5, 2002 a statewide bond that included $37.5 million
specifically for the Bragaw Extension was approved by voters.
East
Anchorage Study of Transportation (EAST)
This is the study of
alternatives for getting people from the north end of town to the
south end. Formerly referred to as the "Bragaw
Extension," this study is actively looking at alternatives
that may cut through Far North Bicentennial Park.
The study was completed in late Spring of 2003. The recommendation was to extend Bragaw to Abbott Loop.
According to a public notice on April 11, 2001:
Its objective is to identify how to improve accessibility, mobility and public safety on Eastside arterials; relieve congestion at major Eastside intersections; and maintain and improve livability, a term used to denote how an area's transportation system is linked to quality of life isssues. The study area's boundaries are the Glenn Highway on the north, Rabbit Creek Road on the south, the Old Seward Highway on the west and the Fort Richardson Military Reservation and Chugach State Park on the east.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and the Municiplaity of Anchorage will be co-managing the study, which will be conducted by HDR Alaska, Inc.
For more information go to www.eastanchorage.net or call Carla SlatonBarker at 907-274-2000.
The following piece by Andrew Meltzer was published in part in the Anchorage Daily News as a Compass Piece in September 2002.
Bragaw Extension May Result in Two More Backed Up Traffic Lights The Bragaw Extension will provide a new route for north-south trips in east Anchorage. Unfortunately, it may also result in two more backed up traffic lights; one at Bragaw & Tudor, another at Abbott and Abbott Loop. This is because a lot of traffic that will use the proposed Bragaw extension will just return to Lake Otis. The Bragaw Extension will probably improve traffic flow for a few years. However, the apparently simple solution of completing the traffic lighted grid will result in creeping gridlock, not overall improved capacity. We really need a complete highway system. Other road improvements will never compensate for lack of a complete highway. Our highest priority should be completing the north-south highway through the business corridor. A complete north-south highway would relieve overloaded north-south arterials, provide a better route for Port of Anchorage truck traffic, accommodate most trips from residential areas for work and shopping, and allow rapid movement of Mat-Su Valley and Kenai Peninsula traffic. Alternative north-south highway bypass routes along the east side of Anchorage don’t serve the business corridor that generates most of the traffic. A complete north-south highway could be accomplished by completing the "missing link" between New Seward Highway and Glenn Highway. The New Seward Highway conversion needs two overpass interchanges; one at 36th Avenue, and one for Benson and Northern Lights Boulevards. Relatively minor roads such as 33rd Avenue, Fireweed Lane and others should not cross the highway, or should use straight-though overpasses. The Glenn Highway conversion between Bragaw and Medfra could use service roads for adjacent businesses and Merrill Field. Intersections at Airport Heights Drive and Bragaw Street should be converted to interchanges. The downtown portion of the "missing link" is the most difficult. The highway through Fairview could either be elevated, or built below grade with overhead cover to create green space. The downtown highway should include a section of 3rd Avenue to reach the highway bridge over Ship Creek to provide service to the Port of Anchorage. Origin and destination data shows most personal local trips are from residences to places of employment or shopping along the north-south corridor near the New and Old Seward Highways between Huffman Road and downtown. Ideally, the Anchorage business and shopping corridor would be surrounded by a highway/arterial beltway to serve residential areas as is typical in most cities. Minnesota Drive, O’Malley Road, Lake Otis, and 15th Avenue currently serve as the Anchorage beltway. Other than Minnesota Drive, all these roads should be upgraded to increase capacity. The Municipality should acquire rights-of-way for upgrades at major intersections. Where feasible, the number of through lanes should be increased on beltway roads such as Lake Otis. Small residential access roads, residential driveways, and individual small businesses should not connect directly to beltway roads when a nearby collector road could provide access. Major bottleneck intersections such as Lake Otis and Tudor may need to be converted to overpasses. These improvements are expensive and difficult to implement. However, now is the time to make sure every dollar spent will improve traffic flow and increase capacity rather than become another source of traffic jams in a few years. Major road projects should directly lead towards connecting the New Seward and Glenn Highways, and also improve the highway/arterial beltway. Our comprehensive plan must consider pedestrians, public transportation, buffering for residential areas, and preservation of parklands. Techniques to reduce traffic congestion that do not require road construction should be considered. Municipal and public agency employers should consider changing work hours to avoid peak rush hour when possible. Before spending 40 million dollars on the Bragaw Extension, we should complete a detailed evaluation to be sure it will actually improve long term traffic flow and complement the overall road system plan. Call the Mayor and encourage completion of the East Anchorage Study of Transportation, and a detailed traffic analysis before we spend construction dollars on the Bragaw Extension. Andrew Meltzer, P.E. To see a map of Andrew's proposal click here. It's an adobe .pdf file |
The following are letters to the Editor of the Anchorage Daily News.
Meltzer's right, time is too precious to spend waiting in a traffic jam (In Anchorage Daily News September 14, 2002)
Let's hear it for Andrew Meltzer's north-south highway idea ("Bragaw extension isn't the solution," Sept. 7). Finally someone is speaking some common sense in all the talk about traffic. Hire that man to the city traffic planning department!
After driving America's highways from Alaska to Miami in 1999, I couldn't help but notice that it seemed every major city in America, except Anchorage, has north-south or east-west freeways, or both. Too bad someone in city planning didn't have their thinking cap on at the start of the boom so we wouldn't be in this traffic quagmire today.
That's the past; we can only change the future. If you think it's expensive now, then suffer 10 more years bumper to bumper, and pay three times as much to get it done. A person can't drive north to south through this city without navigating at least 10 traffic signals. That's not the greatest way to implement free-flowing traffic. Time is too precious to spend waiting in a traffic jam. Raise your voice for a freeway through Anchorage!
-- Charles Gause
Eagle River
Anchorage needs a road system that will meet the city's needs (In Anchorage Daily News September 14, 2002)
Mr. Meltzer hit the nail right on the head ("Bragaw extension isn't the solution," Sept. 7). Anchorage is growing and will continue to grow. Patches to the existing road system are not the answer. We, the people of Anchorage, need to do the right thing now and build a road system that will meet the city's needs for decades to come.
Our children and grandchildren do not need to inherit this problem, our problem.
-- Charles Finch
Anchorage
The following email was sent by Cheryl Richardson of the Anchorage Citizens Coalition regarding House Bill 525: Statewide Road Bond. If the governor signs the bill, this bond would be voted on in a statewide ballot in October of 2002.
| Anchorage activists will
seek a veto. For a number of reasons: 1. It includes funding for the Bragaw extension through Far North Bicentennial Park - a road that needs to go through a public study process. 2. Anchorage legislators voted for the bond bill without knowing the Bragaw extension was in it. 3. Many, if not all of the roads should be funded with 90 percent federal funds, not 100 percent state general funds. 4. The legislature did not acknowledge how these roads add to the state's operating and maintenance costs - and in fact they cut DOT's maintenance budget showing we can't afford to maintain what we've already built. 5. Bond supporters also support Don Young's proposed "streamlining," intended to gut environmental and public process requirements for all federally funded road building. Bragaw is just the beginning. 6. The bill states funds may be shifted from project to project. This rolls back ten years of reform under which roadbuilders had to build real priority lists, have the money in hand, and no longer pick and choose their favorite roads for construction, leaving others to languish for decades. One local columnist, Tim Bradner, questions whether it's appropriate to bond for projects without providing for the operating and maintenance funds - a radical idea to be sure - and a concern of ours for years. The column is titled "Legislature Snubs Public Process," printed Sunday, June 16, Money section of the Anchorage Daily News. Bradner states it "doesn't make a lot of sense" to pledge future state revenues to pay for millions in new construction - the first state bond bill in two decades and calls out the Bragaw extension, noting that the legislature "found a way to sidestep a public process." "That aside, building this with only state money hardly makes sense when 90 percent of it could be paid with federal funds." Please let us know if you can/will help support a veto of HB 525. Cheryl Anchorage Citizens Coalition PO Box 244265 Anchorage, AK. 99524-4265 (907) 274-2624 acc@accalaska.org |
This website is
maintained by Friends of Bicentennial Park to provide
information on Anchorage's Far North Bicentennial Park.