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Project Description

Study Description

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), Central Region, is conducting a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study to identify and evaluate options to improve livability, regional travel between the Seward and Glenn Highways, and local travel within the surrounding neighborhoods. The project will also identify ways to improve access between the Port of Alaska and the highway network. 
The study will build on past work in the area to develop long-term solutions to safety, livability, congestion, access, connectivity, and freight needs. It will result in an implementation plan that describes how the study recommendations can be phased, funded, and implemented, given competing statewide transportation priorities. Specific tasks include planning, environmental studies, traffic forecasting, travel demand modeling, development of a purpose and need statement, alternatives development, cost estimating, implementation phasing, and public involvement. 

Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), Central Region, is conducting a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study to identify and evaluate options to improve livability, regional travel between the Seward and Glenn Highways, and local travel within the surrounding neighborhoods. The project will also identify ways to improve access between the Port of Alaska and the highway network.  

The study will build on past work in the area to develop long-term solutions to safety, livability, congestion, access, connectivity, and freight needs. It will result in an implementation plan that describes how the study recommendations can be phased, funded, and implemented, given competing statewide transportation priorities. Specific tasks include planning, environmental studies, traffic forecasting, travel demand modeling, development of a purpose and need statement, alternatives development, cost estimating, implementation phasing, and public involvement. 

A PEL Study process is an approach to transportation decision-making that helps:
  • Identify potential benefits and impacts on neighborhoods, the environment, and the economy early in the planning stage, making the project more efficient and cost-effective.
  • Engage partner agencies, stakeholders, and the public to build project awareness and support through transparent and consistent communication.
  • Provide opportunities early and often for the public to provide input that shapes the study.
  • Narrow down the range of project alternatives to carry into future environmental review, design, and construction project steps.
  • Produce better environmental outcomes.
  • Facilitate better decision-making.
  • Accelerate project delivery during subsequent environmental approvals.

Learn more about the PEL process in our Project Library tab.

Project Library

Study Area

The study will identify and evaluate improvements needed to improve transportation mobility, safety, access, and connectivity between the Seward Highway, near 20th Avenue, and the Glenn Highway, east of Airport Heights Drive, and will also identify ways to improve access to and from the Port of Alaska. The study area is shown below.

A map shows a red border marking the project area in Anchorage. The area includes the Port of Alaska, Downtown, and Merrill Field. It also includes portions of many roads, such as Glenn Highway on the east side of the map and Seward Highway in the south side.

Schedule

The PEL Study process began in June 2021 and is expected to take about 36 months, finishing in 2024. Please note that dates in the graphic below are subject to change.

Schedule Image: The PEL Study process will begin in Summer of 2021 and will take about 36 months, finishing in Spring 2024.