Resident asks borough to add speed bumps on Mariah Drive amid traffic concerns from new nearby school

During audience participation at the March 6 Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly meeting, resident Melody McCullough asked officials to install speed bumps on Mariah Drive to slow traffic that she says will increase when the new Birch Tree School is built adjacent to Shaw Elementary.

McCullough said traffic from Wasilla-Fishhook Road will be routed through Paradise and other connector streets toward Mariah Drive and Charlie, and that a bus stop at the corner is already in a ditch and poses safety concerns. "I'm asking for speed bumps to be put on the paved side of Moriah," McCullough said. "We need to slow down that traffic." She said she had conducted an informal traffic tally and observed drivers frequently running the stop sign at Mariah and Charlie.

Why it matters: The request raises a neighborhood-safety issue ahead of a major school-construction and traffic-pattern change. Assemblymembers and staff did not take a formal vote during audience participation, but the concern was recorded for follow-up with Public Works staff.

Clarifying details: McCullough said three houses face the paved side of Mariah Drive, and that she lives in the middle of them. She asked for two speed bumps to reduce vehicle speeds near the bus stop and said she moved the bus stop to her driveway previously because it offered more room for students to stand away from the roadway.

Next steps: Public Works staff present at the meeting were acknowledged; the resident thanked Public Works staff Tom Adams and others for prior flood and maintenance response. The matter will be subject to Public Works traffic safety review and any required engineering assessment or permit process.