2021 Construction Season Wrap-Up: Projects move forward despite a year of challenges.

• Author: Kvapil, Rachael
• Position: CONSTRUCTION

As the 2021 summer construction season comes to a close, there is a renewed optimism in the industry. Despite the lingering uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, designers, contractors, and crews were prepared to manage health and safety with well-established mask and social distancing protocols along with vaccine accessibility. New challenges presented themselves in the form of labor and materials shortages, an indirect effect of manufacturing disruptions last year and current shipping complications worldwide. Regardless, designers and contractors completed several projects statewide, with many more on the horizon for 2022.

Designs Become Reality

Every project starts with a solid design. The design phase usually starts several years before construction, though the timeline varies depending on the urgency of a project, the financial resources of a client, and the capacity of everyone involved.

R&M Consultants, an Anchoragebased, multi-disciplined firm, saw the completion in 2021 of several projects they designed during the last decade. One of their main design projects was a major improvement to a 5-mile stretch of the Seward Highway. Mile 100 to 105 is known as a highly trafficked area where drivers regularly speed past the Turnagain Arm community of Indian. Crews reconstructed 5 miles of the Seward Highway in the Bird Creek and Indian areas and improved drainage infrastructure and safety by widening the turn lanes in two critical areas. The Indian Creek Bridge was reconstructed and raised, enabling the bike path to pass under the bridge to the other side without pedestrians needing to cross the highway. The pathway was extended farther toward Anchorage, enabling access from the neighboring communities. Streams were rerouted and re-established to further improve fish habitat along the corridor. R&M completed the design in 2014. Mass Excavation (MassX) completed the construction for this project in 2021.

A smaller but equally important project design by R&M that is nearing the end of construction is Phase II of the Chanshtnu Muldoon Park. The park, at the intersection of Debarr Road and Muldoon Road in East Anchorage, opened in June 2018 after crews completed Phase I, including a skating loop, playground, and farmers' market area. Phase II focuses on the central area of the park and includes a mix of facilities and natural areas. Improvements include an off-leash dog park, community garden and food forest, parking lot, bouldering and nature play area, bicycle pump park, landscaping, trails, and overlooks. This project is a continuation of an approved 2015 master plan developed by the Municipality of Anchorage Parks and Recreation department. R&M completed the Phase II design in 2015. Construction began in fall 2019 and wrapped up this summer.

"Residents didn't really have a park or playground until Phase I of the Chanshtnu Park was completed," says Christine White, communications manager for R&M Consultants. "Now the community has an area for...