College Road Two-Way Left-Turn Lane

Project Overview

Alaska DOT&PF, in cooperation with Fairbanks Area Surface Transportation (FAST) Planning, propose to restripe College Road. The new striping configuration would consist of one lane in each direction with a two-way-left-turn lane (TWLTL) in the middle. The restriping would be between the Margaret Avenue/Antoinette Avenue intersection and University Avenue.

Project Purpose and Need

College Road functions as a minor arterial that connects the east and west sides of Fairbanks and serves nearby residences, Creamer’s Field, the Tanana Valley Fairgrounds, the Tanana Valley Farmers Market, and local businesses.

The purpose of the project is to address a long-standing safety concern on College Road by converting the roadway to the TWLTL configuration. The idea for a TWLTL has been around since the 2014 College Road Corridor Study. The public had concerns about the TWLTL at that time and a vocal minority expressed strong opposition. As a result, the TWLTL was excluded from the 2014 College Road Repaving project.

Since then, additional safety evaluations have reinforced the need for improvements along the corridor. Alaska’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) for 2023-2027 identifies statewide priorities for reducing fatalities and serious injuries, and College Road has been identified as one of Alaska’s 16 highest-injury corridors.

Crash data further supports the need for action. Between 2020 and 2024, there we 45 crashes along the roadway segment and 8 crashes at intersections, including two crashes that resulted in serious injury.

Proposed Scope

The proposed project would restripe the existing 41-foot roadway width from its current four-lane configuration to a three-lane configuration, consisting of one 10-foot thorough lane in each direction, a 12-foot center TWLTL, and 4.5-foot shoulders on both outside edges. This approach is consistent with the findings of the 2014 College Road Corridor Study, which determined that the majority of College Road could operate effectively with a three-lane configuration while maintaining acceptable traffic operations.

Typical Section (click for larger image)

The westbound right-turn lane at Aurora Drive would remain, and the TWLTL would transition to dedicated left-turn lanes at the Danby Street and Aurora Drive intersections. Signal improvements would include reconfiguring the eastbound and westbound signal heads to flashing yellow arrows and potentially installing new signal poles, as the existing poles may not have arms that are long enough to accommodate the proposed configuration.

The project scope would also include evaluating the corridor’s existing speed limit and considering the use of longer-lasting, inlaid Methyl Methacrylate pavement markings.

Project Impacts

This project would not add any additional lane miles to College Road, and no impacts to maintenance and operations are anticipated. The 2014 College Road Corridor Study found that a three-lane configuration on applicable segments of College Road would result in minimal delay based on projected traffic volumes.

Schedule

To be determined.