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It's
a new year and trees are toppling and ground is bulldozed and the
march of road building continues into 2008. 
The pictures and these
youtube movies, Episode 1 and Episode 2, show the sacrifices
made for the hope of faster driving trips from here to there.
This area was beautiful parkland. Is this your vision for a
better Anchorage? If it's not, you need to start talking it up.
Talk to your neighbors. Talk to your Assembly reps. Talk to the
Mayor. Let them know this has gone too far.
This park land is gone
forever. It's gone for a road that may serve no purpose. We've
been busy building an auto dependent society for 50 years but we
shouldn't count on that lasting forever. As the cost of driving
goes up, people 
will drive less. This road is part of a plan
to get people in Northeast Anchorage to the Dimond Center. Will
they being going there when the two larger malls are completed in
the NE part of town? Will they bother with Tudor Rd when the
Seward Highway is more cleanly connected to the Glenn?
This route is also being used to run a waterline to connect a loop. If this road were not being built, that pipe could have been run along other routes that did not require clearing vast parkland.
This
one has got to be shaking people up. The Elmore/Bragaw/Abbott
Loop Extension opened December 2007 creating a
dramatic change to the west boundary of the Park. The waterline
extension is going in roughly along 
the dots you see on the
picture below. And this picture and an email posted here tell you
about test holes being drilled to prepare for the extension of
Boniface to East 48th. This road has been in plans for the Park
since the start, but we've had 30 years to get used to not having
it. I guess our time is up. This road will knock off a big chunk
of park.
For an official update as of 12/12/07 on the waterline/road construction click here.
Here's a picture of the road route we got on 10/27/2008. Note the reroute of the Tour of Anchorage Trail.
Got Questions,
Comments, or Concerns? Please contact: Alison
Lohrke, DOWL HKM
Phone: 562-2000 E-mail: alohrke@dowl.com
To get you oriented: Those ballfields in
the lower left are the Chuck Albrecht fields. That cleared area
in the middle top is the electrical substation on Tudor. The Tour
of Anchorage trail used to go along the left (west) side of 
it.
Just below (south of) that substation, midway between the "3-060" and the substation you can see an area that's lightly cleared. That's where the dog mushers' start area is now. Obviously that won't work when the road is busted through. Where will they go? It could be the area between where the "3-060" is and the new road. That would mean lopping down a lot of trees in a nice higher ground area. (There are lots of nice skinny trails there for a run or hike.)
If we get lucky, the dog mushers will go to area where the state DOT uses for storage. The Park Plan 30 years ago said they should vacate there (it's actually Alaska Air National Guard land). That location is the cleared area near the lower right corner just below the "North." That location is already cleared and already has a road to it.
When this park was transferred to the city,
the land along Tudor was required to be for public facilities 
compatible with Bicentennial Park's natural
environment. Now we've got a police station, a bus barn and
things like that so the criteria used have been loose. There are plans to fill
that area with buildings in the next 10 years or so.
The Begich administration has suggested that the land just to the south of the Boniface/E 48th Extension could have a "conservation easement" put on it. That's about as protected as the land can get. That will allow the city to use that land as wetlands mitigation land for projects like this E 48th Extension.
DOWL Engineers is working on this project. Check out their website for the project schedule and other info: http://www.dowl.com/projects/48thavenue/index.htm . The Environmental Assessment has been posted to the Documents/Reports page for public review.
Trails Plan in the
works. A Community Advisory Group has been put together
to plan trails related to this 
and other projects in FNBP. The
initial meetings will coincide with the FNBP Users Group's
regular first Monday meetings at 6:20 at the Campbell Creek
Science Center. Representing Friends of Bicentennial Park will be
Pixie Siebe and John Weddleton. The first meeting is September
11, 2006.
This trail study that will be led by Troy Duffin (scroll down to the Press Release for more info on him.). The community advisory group is comprised of existing members of the FNBP Trails Advisory Committee as well as representatives from local community councils. So if there is any confusion…please understand that folks are using the “Community Advisory Group” and “FNBP Trails Advisory Committee” interchangeably.
We are fortunate to have this group, along with Troy, address trails not as an afterthought, but as an integral part of the 48th Ave. road design process.
Here's a press release from the Muncipality of Anchorage:
| FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact: Beth Nordlund September 8, 2006 350-9482 2006-62 NATIONAL TRAILS EXPERT VISITS FAR NORTH BICENTENNIAL PARK Leading trail planning and construction expert Troy Duffin, will visit Far North Bicentennial Park Monday, Sept. 11, at 6:20 PM at the Campbell CreekScienceCenter. The Anchorage Department of Parks & Recreation and DOWL Engineering invited Mr. Duffin back to Alaska to lead a trail study within Far North Bicentennial Park and adjacent lands. Mr. Duffin was well received at the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Luncheon last April when he spoke on the economic benefits of trails in a community. Mr. Duffin will assist Anchorage as the municipality addresses impacts to trails and greenways from the 48th Avenue Road Design and Construction Project near the park. This trail study will ensure that 48th Avenue is developed and traffic increases, trail connectivity will be protected and enhanced both within Far North BicentennialPark and to surrounding schools, parks, neighborhoods and greenbelts. “Trails connect us to neighborhoods, parks, work, and each other. As we build roads, we can build connectivity and strengthen community,” said Mayor Mark Begich “Our trail system is an economic engine for Anchorage.” Jack Mosby, President of Alaska Trails and advisor to the Far North Bicentennial Park User Group added, “Far North BicentennialPark is a uniquely wild urban park. The trails in this park are an amazing community asset that should be enhanced and celebrated.” The first Community Advisory Group Meeting for this study is scheduled as part of the Far North Bicentennial Park User Group meeting Monday night. The Far North Bicentennial Park User Group is working to build consensus around trail use. This collaboration will benefit Anchorage as our community grows and our outdoor recreation needs increase. Troy Duffin Bio Troy Duffin is a highly acclaimed Trails Expert, who has been actively involved with trail advocacy and development since the late 1980’s. Troy has worked in the highly regulated area of Lake Tahoe as a land use and real estate attorney, working with landowners and developers from permitting processes to complex land use litigation. InPark City Utah, his professional focus is on trail advocacy. He directed the successful Mountain Trails Foundation and was instrumental in helping Park City Utah’s trail system to expand from under 30 miles to over 300. He was a key player in the formation of a recreation and trails special service district, drafting master plans and standards, and bringing government entities, user groups and landowners together in support of trails. He is the owner of Alpine-Trails, Inc, specializing in Building Trails to Last a Lifetime. |
email from March 21, 2006:
DOWL is planning a geotechnical investigation and we wanted to
give all trail users a heads up on this project. It's expected to
take approximately 8 to 10 days to complete and would likely be
completed between March 28 and
April 28, 2006.
In addition to the Nordic Skiing Assocation of Anchorage, the
Alaskan Sled Dog & Racing Association and Friends of Far
North Bicentennial Park, I'll be talking to John McCleary about
how best to reach all trail users.
I have a figure showing where the work will take place and
have attached it here. We are in the process of making both a
flyer and a handout, but in the meantime, I'll include a
description of the work below.
>
> Please feel free to call or email me with any questions.
>
> Cheers,>
> Emily Creely DOWL Engineers 907-562-2000
>
>
> Description
>
> The Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) has hired DOWL Engineers
to design the East 48th Avenue/Boniface Extension project. This
project would construct a new road to connect Abbott Loop/Bragaw
to Boniface, consistent with the MOA Long Range Transportation
Plan. AWWU also plans to construct a major water line along the
new road alignment.
>
> One of the first steps in the design process is a
geotechnical investigation. This investigation provides
information needed to determine the appropriate alignment/design
of the road. The geotechnical investigation includes soil borings
and peat probes and will take about 8 to 10 days. The soil
borings are drilled using a track-mounted drill rig. Existing
trails will be used to 
access each test boring and peat probe location, to
the greatest extent possible. This will minimize the need to
clear vegetation to reach the soil boring sites. Where
necessary to depart from an existing trail, the shortest route
will be taken. DOWL aims to complete the geotechnical
investigation while the ground is frozen and snow is on the
ground. Hand clearing of vegetation to access the test boring
locations will be kept to a minimum. In addition to minimizing
the effect on the trails, conducting the work before the snow
and/or frozen ground melts benefits wetlands.
>
> Although impacts to trails will be kept to the minimum
possible, there will be some disturbance to the snow on the
trails from the drill rig. These temporary effects to snow cover
from the drill rig are preferred to more permanent impacts to
vegetation that would occur once snow and frozen ground have
melted.
>
> No trails will be closed. "Men Working" signs will
be posted on both sides of the trail in the vicinity of the drill
rig.
>
> Test Borings Details:
> * Test borings will be drilled to depths of 20 to 40 feet
using a track mounted drill rig fitted with a continuous flight,
4-inch inside diameter hollow stem auger.
> o Snow will be cleared in the area of test borings enough to
allow an 8-inch diameter auger to drill the boring.
> * Test borings will be sampled at five-foot vertical
intervals by an engineer/geologist, who will log the test borings
and collect samples.
> * Slotted PVC standpipes will be inserted into each test
boring after drilling is completed and the depth to the
groundwater will be obtained several days later.
> o PVC will extend above the ground surface approximately
6-12 inches.
> o These PVC pipes can be flagged between their placement and
when groundwater is measured.
> o After groundwater is measured, the standpipes will not be
removed. They may be cut at ground surface elevation if
necessary.
> * Test borings will be backfilled with the cuttings and
rough graded to match the surrounding area.
> * Peat probes will be performed with a drill rig in order to
define the depth and extent of the organics along the
alignment. No sampling will be performed in the peat,
however a sample of the underlying mineral soils will be
obtained.>
>
> Schedule:
> The geotechnical investigation is expected to take
approximately 8 to 10 days to complete and would likely be
completed between March 28 and April 28, 2006. DOWL has
submitted a nationwide permit application for authorization to
complete the borings in wetlands within the study area and would
like to proceed with the investigation as soon as the wetland
permit
has been issued. The Corps of Engineers has issued a
preconstruction notice for the project, dated March 16, 2006,
which gives agencies 10 calendar days to provide comments.
>
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue (formerly Boniface/East 48th
Extension)