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Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities

NORTHERN REGION
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Badger Road Roundabouts

Please take our Badger Road Roundabout Survey from 10/16/26-11/6/26 here: Survey


Badger proposed roundabouts. Click for PDF

Project Overview

Alaska DOT&PF, through the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), is proposing to install roundabouts at up to seven locations along Badger Road. The project is expected to begin with one or two roundabouts, with additional locations considered for construction over time. The proposed improvements are intended to enhance safety at key intersections along the corridor.

Project Purpose and Need

Badger Road is an east-west running minor arterial (reclassified from collector in 2011) that connects the Fort Wainwright area with the Richardson Highway and North Pole. This minor arterial has a high number of access points and speeding is a known issue along this road.

Due to a high number of crashes, Northern Region initiated a Road Safety Audit (RSA) of Badger Road (from Montgomery Road/Holmes Road to Hurst Road) which was completed in March of 2013. Implementation of roundabouts for future intersection projects was a recommendation of the RSA. A two-way left-turn lane was constructed along the majority of Badger Road in 2019, but there still remains a high crash count at the intersections.

If a series of roundabouts are constructed, they can have a secondary traffic calming effect on Badger Road by reducing speeds.

Proposed Scope

The proposed project would convert one-way stop-controlled intersections to single-lane roundabouts at the following locations: (Click for concept drawings 8mb)

  • Badger Road & Old Badger Loop Road (West)
  • Badger Road & Holmes Road & Peede Road
  • Badger Road & Nordale Road Roundabout
  • Badger Road & Bradway Road
  • Badger Road & Repp Road & Marigold Road
  • Badger Road & Peridot Street
  • Badger Road & Plack Road

Maps of recent crashes at each intersection from 2020-2024 can be found here: Crash Locations

Schedule

The roundabouts could be multiple projects constructed over several years if supported by residents, neighborhoods, and users of Badger Road.

Why are roundabouts safer than a signal or stop sign?

Fewer opportunities for crashes: In a traditional four-way intersection, there are more points where vehicle paths conflict with each other. For example, a vehicle turning left could be in conflict with on-coming traffic. In a roundabout, there are fewer opportunities for conflict because vehicles are flowing in the same direction around the roundabout.

Less-severe crashes: The types of crashes that occur in a traditional four-way intersection include high-speed t-bone and head-on crashes that are more likely to be serious. Crashes that occur in roundabouts tend to happen at slower speeds and be side-angle crashes, which are typically less severe.

Please find a roundabouts fact sheet published by USDOT here: Roundabouts: A Safer Choice

Rules of the roundabout

Unsure what you're supposed to do when approaching a roundabout? Here are four simple steps:

  1. Slow down: Reduce your speed as you approach the roundabout and watch for pedestrians in the crosswalks.
  2. Yield: As you approach the roundabout, look to your left and yield to traffic already in the roundabout. Traffic inside the roundabout always has the right-of-way.
  3. Enter when there is a gap: You do not need to come to a full stop if you can enter safely without stopping.
  4. Signal when exiting: Turning your right blinker on when you are exiting is a courtesy to other drivers, but not a legal requirement.

Visit our roundabouts website to learn more.