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Commission approves Glen Highway/Highland Road interchange plans-in-hand review
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Summary
The commission unanimously approved the 65% plans-in-hand for Glen Highway/Highland Road interchange improvements, endorsing a diverging-diamond-style design with roundabouts, a center-running shared-use path on the existing bridge, and cost and maintenance findings.
The Urban Design Commission voted 6–0 to approve case 2026-0051, the Glen Highway and Highland Road interchange improvements plans-in-hand review, after a detailed presentation by Alaska Department of Transportation staff and a full round of commissioner questions.
Galen Jones of Alaska DOT presented the preferred alternative — a diverging-diamond configuration with roundabouts at each end — intended to reduce heavy morning queueing on the westbound-to-southbound movement and to improve operations and non-motorized safety without replacing the existing bridge. "Improving operations will improve capacity and make it so people don't have to wait 15, 20, sometimes 30 minutes in the morning," Jones said.
DOT described a center-running 10-foot-wide shared-use path on the bridge separated from vehicle lanes by a concrete barrier (~36 inches) with additional railing; the design reduces the number of single-lane non-motorized crossings on the bridge from eight to six and shortens walking distance by about 400 feet for park-and-ride users. DOT acknowledged constraints imposed by the existing narrow bridge cross section and said the deck will be reconstructed to meet ADA grades and to accommodate drainage and snow‑removal equipment.
Commissioners asked about barrier height, potential for debris from heavy vehicles, snow removal and maintenance, controlled-access line modifications with FHWA, lane widths for roundabouts, and construction phasing. DOT said staff coordinated with maintenance operations, planned snow storage and plow access, and had reduced an initially proposed two‑lane roundabout approach to one lane after peer review because traffic volumes did not warrant two lanes.
In recorded findings commissioners cited: compliance with Title 21 and prior design approvals, reduced conflict points and improved pedestrian safety, estimated construction costs (an approximate total construction and utilities cost of $21,000,000 with specific line items cited), and maintenance responsibilities split between State DOT and municipal agreements. Commissioner Strait moved to approve the plans subject to staff‑report conditions and entered a set of findings; the motion passed 6–0.
Next steps: the project team will finalize stormwater documentation to comply with the Anchorage stormwater manual and pursue construction funding through AMATS and the statewide transportation improvement program.
