3.0 Affected Environment - Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority

Knik Arm Crossing DraftFinal EIS
Affected Environment
3.6.3.3.1 Viewer response issues
Viewer exposure
Viewer exposure is expressed by the number, distance, duration, and speed of view for each
of the viewer groups.
While people reside in a given home, the pace and context of life is at a regional scale.
People spend considerable amount of time out of their homes, traveling to and from
neighborhood and city parks, schools, and work and retail centers. In pursuing these
destinations—whether on foot, by bicycle, or by car or bus—the proposed project could be
glimpsed from numerous locations and for variable lengths of time.
Motorists and pedestrians would generally be exposed to the proposed project for the time
during which they would transit the project. For motorists, the period of exposure would tend
to be of short duration—measured in seconds—while for pedestrians, the exposure period
would tend to be long, measured in minutes. For those using other roadways, the proposed
project would generally be out of the frame of view of motorists, but would be more exposed
to pedestrian viewers.
Tourists/Recreationists
Tourists and recreationists generally frequent the Downtown Anchorage area and Ship Creek
area. Many arrive by the Alaska Railroad. These users number in the tens of thousands and
are generally limited to the May-to-September period. They typically use the Ship Creek and
Downtown Anchorage areas for periods of one to several hours and would have views of the
proposed project of from 0.1 to 1.0 mile distance. Users of the Ship Creek Trail, which are
expected to number in the hundreds of users per day, would travel directly under the
proposed Ingra-Gambell Viaduct. Generally, trail users and/or tourists move at a relatively
low rate of speed; thus, exposure time to the KAC project, if built, could be measured in
terms of seconds, minutes, or hours, depending on whether the users would be walking,
fishing, or shopping.
Government Hill residents
Approximately 158 residents located on the north side of the Ship Creek valley, north of the
bluff, would have views of the proposed project from varying angles.
Tourists/Shoppers
The Ship Creek area is becoming a tourism destination with increasing restaurant and retail
development along Ship Creek. This viewer group is generally located in the western portion
of the Ship Creek valley, west of Cordova Avenue and removed from proximity to the
proposed project. They would, however, have visual access to it. Typically, the group has a
high level of appreciation for scenic quality, travels at a slow pace, and has time to view the
full context of their settings’ foreground, middleground, and background points of interest.
12/18/07 3-151