Bogard Road FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Nominating a project, obtaining approval, completing an environmental document, establishing the maintenance agreement with the MSB, and programming it into budget all have taken more time than anticipated. ROW acquisitions and utility relocations will also take time because those tasks require coordination with third parties outside of DOT&PF's control.

The Department's Maintenance section, in coordination with our Traffic and Safety section, installed intersection warning signs during the summer of 2021 using maintenance funds.

Roundabouts are safer than signals, which contributed to the successful nomination of funds for this project through the HSIP program—they have fewer conflict points and speeds are lower so when a crash does happen, it is less severe. Plus, a roundabout will improve the operational capacity of the intersection.

Speed limits are set after a thorough engineering analysis that includes studying the current speed trends. Drivers tend to drive the speed they feel comfortable driving. With a few exceptions (school zones, work zones), it doesn't do any good to only put up new speed limit signs—most drivers will continue to drive the same speed they drove before the new signs went up. This can create a new safety concern of high speed differentials where some people drive at the lower posted speed and some drive at the higher/comfortable speed. In addition, creating a speed zone for a short segment is also problematic because many drivers will ignore the lower speed limit and it is hard to enforce for just a short stretch. For additional information regarding speed limit policy, visit the Policy & Procedure on Establishment of Speed Limits and Zones.

Our models indicate that a single lane roundabout is adequate. Single-lane roundabouts are actually safer than two lane roundabouts because they are simpler and have fewer conflict points. Also, the project was scoped as a single-lane roundabout, so changing it to a two-lane roundabout would require going back and re-starting the process, which would add time to the project. Perhaps most importantly, since Bogard Road is only one lane in each direction, adding a second lane at the roundabout does not provide much additional benefit. The proposed design does have a right turn lane from Bogard onto Engstrom which was the only vehicle movement that was found justifiable to add a separate lane. If or when Bogard Road gets widened, then the roundabout would most likely be widened as well.

It's really difficult to turn left from Engstrom onto Bogard. How will this help that?

Between the added roadway curvature to slow vehicles, the clearing of obstructions within the sight triangles, and profile modifications to increase sight distance over the crest of the hill, drivers will have much more time to make a decision about whether it is safe to enter the intersection. Also, entering the roundabout will be a simple right-hand turn, where drivers only have to worry about one lane of traffic instead of two.

The roundabout is designed with extra wide shoulders on the left side of each entry to accommodate wider truck turns, as well as a truck apron around the center island. The widened shoulder will be marked with paint, and the truck apron will have patterned concrete and a mountable curb. This curb is uncomfortable for passenger vehicles to go over, but trailers can roll over them with little difficulty. Most trucks will be able to go through the roundabout keeping the first four wheels of their cabs on pavement, and only the rear tires of the trailers will go over the curb. This is a design feature that has been developed over the years. Earlier/older roundabouts weren't as truck-friendly, but engineers have learned from those and adapted our design practices to accommodate larger vehicles.

We considered it, but there isn't the need for it—the benefit doesn't outweigh the added costs. During the afternoon peak, there's a large volume of vehicles travelling westbound on Bogard, and amongst them is a significant number turning north onto Engstrom. Separating these right turning northbound vehicles from the Bogard through traffic will reduces the wait times for through-traffic to enter the roundabout, and it will assist in decision making for southbound traffic on Engstrom looking to enter the roundabout. The same competition between through and right turning vehicles doesn't exist at any of the other entries. For example in the morning when eastbound traffic is heavy, there aren't a lot of vehicles turning onto Green Forest.

Temporary construction impacts are not yet known. There are alternate detour routes around the intersection via Destin Drive and the Palmer-Wasilla Highway if a full closure of the intersection is necessary. If needed, closures would likely be limited to a few hours in the middle of the night with advance warning prior to any closure. However, it is likely that the entire project can be constructed without full closures. Much of the work can be completed by building out the corners first while traffic remains open, then flagging traffic through the completed sections as the interior is completed.

There are other intersections like this that need improvements. Why aren't they part of this project? Will a similar project come to my neighborhood?

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