West Dowling Phase II: decreasing congestion with road extension.

• Author: Jaeger, Stephanie
• Position: Special section: BUILDING ALASKA

Since 1971, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) has been working on a way to improve east to west travel in Anchorage to reduce congestion on Tudor Road and Dimond Boulevard. The Anchorage Long Range Transportation Plan categorized the Dowling Road Extension as a top priority and the project has evolved in two phases. Phase I connects Dowling between Old Seward Highway and C Street and went to bid last fall. Construction is expected to begin this spring and be substantially complete by the end of next October by Quality Asphalt Paving, the low bidder at $13.486 million, according to ADOT&PF Project Manager Jim Amundsen.

PROJECT STATUS

Phase II connects Dowling from C Street to Minnesota Drive, and is in the design and acquisitions stage. The West Dowling Phase II project begins with an exit from C Street south of West 59th Avenue. The highway continues along the shores of Tina Lake proceeding west and then south. A new bridge will be built over Arctic Boulevard and the Alaska Railroad tracks that run parallel to it. The bridge will be 35 feet high to accommodate the Alaska Railroad's need for access. Ramps to and from the bridge will have a five-percent grade and a steep berm. From there, the new highway passes through wooded and industrial land to an intersection with Raspberry Road at West 68th Avenue. Shortly after this intersection, Raspberry Road has an on and off ramp to Minnesota Drive, connects with the Old and New Seward highways and becomes O'Malley Road. This route, the "Rovenna concept," named after Rovenna Road, was approved in the 2007 Environmental Assessment, which evaluated several alternate routes. HDR Alaska, a multi-national engineering firm, is designing the project and continues to work on the details.

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The new highway will alternate...