Project Purpose & Need

· Purpose

o Improve mobility for people and freight

o Enhance access management

o Project will:

Correct problems created by unconstrained access

Improve safety

Reduce congestion

· Purpose is precipitated by three needs:

o Safety

o Congestion

o Efficient travel

Project Description

· Expand the corridor to a four-lane divided roadway

· Separated multi-use pathway on the north side

· In order to improve safety and reduce congestion, breaks in the median

are proposed for every half mile.

· Controlled access lines will be added to the plat to prevent median

openings spaced less than a half mile.

· A Traffic and Safety Analysis will determine intersection improvements.

At this time, no additional signals are proposed as part of this project.

· Project will be designed to accommodate both current needs and future

capacity improvements.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

PROJECT TIMELINE

Anticipated Summer 2017 Field Work

• Geotechnical drilling • Survey • Gasline potholing

Date Agency/Organization Location August 9, 2012 Mat-Su Transportation Fair Menard Sports Center August 9, 2012 Wasilla, MSB, State M&O Staff Borough Office November 28, 2012 MSB Transportation Advisory Board New Horizon Conference Rm

December 4, 2012 MSB Planning Staff MSB Planning Conference Rm December 4, 2012 Wasilla Planning Commission Wasilla City Hall December 4, 2012 Public Open House #1 Goose Bay Elementary February 4, 2013 MSB Planning Commission MSBSD – Administration Bldg March 11, 2013 Christ First United Methodist

Congregation Christ First United Methodist Church

March 18, 2013 Wasilla Christian Congregation Wasilla Christian Church March 21, 2013 Settlers Bay Owners Association Settlers Bay Lodge April 23, 2013 Wasilla Chamber of Commerce Grandview Inn & Suites May 1, 2013 Knik-Fairview Community Council Fire Station 62

May 13, 2013 Wasilla City Council Wasilla City Hall August 7, 2013 Mat-Su Transportation Fair Menard Sports Center April 16, 2014 Public Open House #2 Wasilla Senior Center October 10, 2014 Mat-Su Transportation Fair Alaska State Fairground

August 4, 2015 Public Hearing Open House Wasilla Senior Center October 22, 2015 Mat-Su Transportation Fair Menard Sports Center October 9, 2016 Mat-Su Transportation Fair Alaska State Fairground April 11, 2017 MSB/City of Wasilla Project Update Wasilla City Hall

May 3, 2017 Knik-Fairview Community Council Fire Station 62

PUBLIC OUTREACH

MSB = Mat-Su Borough MSBSD = Mat-Su Borough School District M&O = Maintenance & Operations

Project Typical Posted Speed (Actual Peak Congestion Speed)

Knik-Goose Bay Road Reconstruction (this project) • Four lane divided highway • Reduced conflict points • Signals to accommodate existing traffic volumes

50-55 MPH (40-50 MPH)

Long-term Planning for Knik-Goose Bay Road (future project) • Six lanes with curb and gutter • More signals as needed to accommodate future traffic

volumes • Signals on ½ mile spacing to maintain posted speeds

45-50 MPH (30-40 MPH)

SPEED LIMITS

DOT&PF, Alaska State Troopers, and Central EMS staff recommend reasonable and prudent speeds as shown above are safer for traffic flow, crash reduction, and fire response.

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Sample Speed Data May 1 - Aug 31, 2016

Posted Speed Limit 55 MPH

85th Percentile Speed 58 MPH

Median Speed 54 MPH Lowest speed limit allowed per DOT&PF Policy and Procedure > 300,000 Motorist Samples

Higher Speed Drivers ≥ 10 MPH over speed limit

1% of Motorists (includes emergency

response vehicles)

Lower Speed Drivers ≤ 10 MPH under speed limit

7% of Motorists

“PACE”: 50-59 MPH, 72% of Motorists

Speed (MPH)

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• Speed limits set the maximum regulatory speed under good road conditions.

• Most drivers are reasonable and prudent and drive with regards to road conditions.

• Speed limits need to reflect road character and conflicts to be enforceable. • Safer traffic conditions occur when motorists are at or near the same

speed, typically a 10 MPH band (pace). Speed limits posted too low create greater speed differentials and, consequently, more safety conflicts.

• Higher and lower speed drivers increase conflict. This can be mitigated through enforcement, traffic devices, or new road designs to meet demand, such as alternative routes to distribute varying traffic uses.

SPEED LIMITS

• Safety corridor designation July 1, 2009 • Fatal and major injury crashes down 26% since designation • About half of fatal and major injury crashes involve opposing or turning vehicles • Top 10 for fatal and major injury crashes on rural two lane roads • Increased intersection and driveway access increases conflict • Medians and divided highways decrease access and decrease conflict

SAFETY

SAFETY

SIGNAL SPACING

• Every 50 foot reduction from ½ mile signal spacing on principal arterials can mean a drop of 1 mile per hour in average travel speed.

• The MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) says that spacing of signals should not be less than 1000 feet (~1/4 mile) for two-way roadways. Signals ≤ 1 mile apart can be coordinated.

• Cohesive platooning of traffic in a series of signals allows for turning of traffic at unsignalized locations in between signals.