Portage Curve Multimodal Connector
The purpose of the Portage Curve Multimodal Connector is not only to provide a connection to segments of the Iditarod National Historic Trail, but also to provide: connection to local businesses and partners, easier and safer access to the forest in a highly recreated area, and a safe, universally accessible paved trail for the public to experience the Chugach National Forest. In 2016, the Chugach National Forest applied for and received project funding from the Transportation Alternatives Program and the Federal Lands Access Program – totaling nearly $9 million dollars for the planning, design, and construction of the Portage Curve Multimodal Connector. The TAP and FLAP funds required a 9.03% match that was met through both Cash and in-kind contributions by the end of 2017.
The Forest Service is working closely with partners and stakeholders for the successful delivery of this project. Our project partners include: Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Railroad Corporation, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and the Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance, among others. At the beginning stages, this project consisted of pedestrian lanes on three highway bridges, two bridge undercrossings, and a snow-machine parking lot on the Seward Highway 75-90 project, negotiated as Section 4f mitigation with our partners at DOT&PF. With the award of the FLAP and TAP funds, the project scope includes an approximately 8-mile paved ADA compliant paved trail along the Seward Highway from Milepost 75-82 with the following features:
- pedestrian lanes on five highway bridges,
- four highway undercrossings,
- four new trailhead facilities,
- connection to the Trail of Blue Ice, and
- connections to the Alaska Railroad Portage Whistlestop and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.
DOT&PF and the USFS are collaborating to jointly deliver the NEPA and design of the project, with DOT&PF delivering the construction as part of Phase 2 of their Seward Highway MP 75-90 project. This allows our project to have substantial cost-savings in construction due to economies of scale. Final design will be completed by spring of 2019, and construction will take place in 2020 and 2021.
