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Wasilla outlines multi-year road and pedestrian projects with DOT, MPO funding
Summary
Public works director Eric Shaw briefed the council on a package of regional and local projects nominated to the Mat-Su MPO and planned DOT work, including Peck Street and Lucille Street mill-and-pave nominations, a pavement management plan, streetlight inventory, sign management and a Safe Streets for All pedestrian package.
The Wasilla public works director told the City Council the city has nominated several projects to the Matanuska-Susitna Metropolitan Planning Organization and is coordinating timing and matches with the Alaska Department of Transportation.
Public Works Director Eric Shaw said the nominations include mill-and-repair projects slated for Peck Street and the south section of Lucille Street, a pavement management plan using PCI laser data collection, and mapping efforts for streetlights and signs within the MPO boundary. Shaw said the DOT working estimate for milling and repaving Peck Street is "a little over a million and a half dollars," with a local match of about 10 percent.
Shaw described the MPO nominations as a mix of low-permit projects the region can advance more quickly. He also described a pavement management project to collect PCI and LIDAR data to help prioritize repairs and a streetlight/infrastructure mapping project estimated at roughly $400,000 for the MPO with an estimated city match of about $10,000.
Shaw also briefed the council on borough-led Safe Streets for All grant work, listing a consolidated Wasilla project that would add separated paths and crossings near the middle and high schools, sidewalk connections to the Wasilla Ice Arena and improvements to a pedestrian tunnel under the railroad. "That project has a working total right now of about 3,200,000," Shaw said, and he said the broader Safe Streets package totals roughly $17.5 million.
Councilors pressed Shaw on timing and local match obligations. Shaw said DOT is managing design schedules and that some projects are two- to three-year efforts; Peck Street may require interim maintenance if design and construction are delayed. He said the Main Street project remains the largest regional effort, with a current working estimate of $70 million to $80 million for a downtown reconstruction project.
Shaw warned that DOT's regional office has many designs underway, so local staff are negotiating timing and seeking ways to accelerate delivery, but he said he did not have a final schedule for the MPO holdover funds the city hopes to spend. "I would have to double check for the exact number, but it's several million dollars," Shaw said of the MPO holdover balance.
Shaw's presentation covered roundabouts, blinking beacons, curb ramp work, and large DOT bundles expected to affect traffic and staging over multiple seasons. Council members asked about traffic impacts and whether local matches would be required; Shaw said those details will be part of DOT's local design group work and the MPO process.
The council did not take a formal vote on any specific project at the meeting; Shaw's briefing was received for discussion and follow-up by staff.
