3.0 Affected Environment - Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Knik Arm Crossing DraftFinal EIS Affected Environment Transit service Established on March 3, 1999, as a private nonprofit corporation, Matanuska-Susitna Community Transit (MASCOT) operates fixed-route service and flexible routes that meet specific needs (paratransit service) in the Mat-Su Borough. Local and commuter fixed-route service is provided in the Palmer/Wasilla area, with limited commuter service provided from the Mat-Su to the Anchorage Transit Center. In addition to the fixed-route and paratransit services, MASCOT provides trips to Medicaid clients, transportation to the Boy’s and Girl’s Club, and other transportation services for nonprofit agencies. No transit service is provided in the vicinity of Burma Road or Point MacKenzie. Mat-Su planned roadway system Future planned roadway improvements in the Mat-Su portion of the Study Area extend to a number of improvements to arterial and collector-level roads and are described in the Mat-Su Borough’s LRTP. Most of the improvements are in the Wasilla area. Improvements listed in the KAC project area are: • upgrading Burma and Point MacKenzie Roads, as described earlier • extending a new road west across Little Susitna River (West Mat-Su Access Road or Little Susitna Crossing) to access Borough lands as cited in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Rail Corridor Study (MSB 2003d). 3.2.2.1.2 Anchorage roadway system The Anchorage roadway system in the Study Area is a more complete urban roadway network than the rural network of the Mat-Su side of the affected environment. The road network LOS, as defined in Section 3.2.2.2, is generally good, with some key transportation system links in the network performing at fair-to-poor LOS, including portions of the Glenn Highway and Seward Highway. Anchorage has plans to make improvements that would result in enhancing the performance of these facilities. Based on analysis conducted for the Anchorage roadway system, intersection LOS appears to be the key determinant of congestion in Anchorage. Intersections at various critical locations along the Anchorage transportation network are often the cause of bottlenecks or delays. Many of the congested intersections are concentrated in the central part of the Anchorage Bowl where major eastwest and north-south arterial street segments are missing or cross each other. Intersection congestion is generally worse during the evening peak period (4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.). According to the 2005 Anchorage LRTP, traffic crashes increase with more vehicle miles traveled: “Roads and intersections with the highest traffic volumes and level of service (LOS) D, E, or F tend to be locations with the most crashes” (MOA 2005a:36). ADOT&PF reports that in 2002, three-quarters of all traffic collisions in Alaska occurred on urban roads. Fatal crashes were nearly equal between urban and rural locations. In 2002, Anchorage had the following percentages of statewide motor vehicle collisions: all collisions 64.0 involving moose 30.7 fatal collisions 41.0 involving alcohol 62.3 involving pedestrians 70.4 involving speeding 64.9 involving bicyclists 75.8 Page 3-44 12/18/07
Knik Arm Crossing DraftFinal EIS Affected Environment ADOT&PF is compiling comparable data for 2003 and 2004 and reports that preliminary findings reveal essentially the same general patterns as recorded in 2002 (Alaska Traffic Collisions, ADOT&PF, 2002a). The Anchorage Traffic department produces an annual traffic report that lists the previous year’s total number of accidents by the top 50 locations (intersections). The Study Team reviewed 8 years of data, and the results as they relate to the Study Area in the specific facilities are included below (MOA 2004c). The following sections provide a general description of the major facilities within the Study Area and important planned improvements to the vehicular transportation system. These facilities can be seen in Figure 3.11. Specific facilities Glenn Highway/5th and 6th Avenue From Downtown heading toward Wasilla, the 5th/6th Avenue/Glenn Highway corridor is the primary vehicular transportation route. The 5th/6th Avenue/Glenn Highway heads northeast from Downtown Anchorage, carrying commuter traffic to and from Eagle River, Eklutna, and the Mat-Su. The route is on the NHS and operated and maintained by ADOT&PF. Between Downtown and Merrill Field, 5th and 6th Avenues operate as a couplet. From there, the couplet joins and operates as a four-lane arterial with a center turn lane (denoted East 5th Avenue). The highway segment starts east of Merrill Field and is six lanes to Eagle River and four lanes from Eagle River to the junction with the Parks Highway near Wasilla. From the Parks Highway interchange, the Glenn Highway continues east to Palmer and beyond as a two-lane paved roadway. In 2004, ADT on the Glenn Highway east of Muldoon was 50,100 vehicles. On 5th and 6th Avenues near Gambell Street, ADT was over 22,000. The portion of the corridor near Merrill Field carries over 47,000 ADT and is one of the most congested sections of roadway in Anchorage during peak periods (because of a current bottleneck condition where the lanes constrict from six to four, coupled with high commuting volumes from Eagle River and the Mat-Su) (ADOT&PF 2004a). There were 3,686 auto accidents, involving 5,499 vehicles, with 31 fatalities, 193 major injuries, and 1,658 minor injuries for the 10-year period from 1994 to 2003 on the Glenn Highway from Bragaw Street in Anchorage to the Palmer-Wasilla Interchange in the Mat-Su. This does not include accidents at the controlled intersections on either end. This is an average of one accident per day—resulting in a minor injury once every 2 days, and a death or major injury every 2-3 weeks. The accidents typically result in lane closures. 15 15 Personal communication, Ron Martindale, ADOT&PF, e-mail of highway safety data spreadsheet specific to Glenn Highway, to John McPherson, 2005. 12/18/07 Page 3-45
Page 1:
Knik Arm Crossing DraftFinal EIS Af
Page 5 and 6:
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9:
Page 13 and 14: Knik Arm Crossing DraftFinal EIS Af
Page 15: Knik Arm Crossing DraftFinal EIS Af
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139:
Page 143:
Page 147:
Page 151:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157:
Page 161:
Page 165:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183:
Page 187:
Page 191:
Page 195:
Page 199:
Page 203 and 204:
Page 205:
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211:
Page 215:
Page 219 and 220:
Page 221 and 222:
Page 223 and 224:
Page 225:
Page 229:
Page 233 and 234:
Page 235:
Page 239 and 240:
Page 241 and 242:
Page 243 and 244:
Page 245:
Page 249 and 250:
Page 251 and 252:
Page 253 and 254:
Page 255 and 256:
Page 257:
Page 261 and 262:
Page 263 and 264:
Page 265 and 266:
Page 267 and 268:
Page 269:
Page 273 and 274:
Page 275 and 276:
Page 277 and 278:
Page 279 and 280:
Page 281 and 282:
Page 283:
Page 287 and 288:
Page 289 and 290:
Page 291:
Page 295 and 296:
Page 297:
Page 301 and 302:
Page 303 and 304:
Page 305 and 306:
Page 307:
show all

3.0 Affected Environment - Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?