Richardson Highway MP 340-346

ROAD CONSTRUCTION UPDATE:

• ROAD CLOSURE: Beginning Tuesday, May 1, northbound lanes on the Richardson Highway, between MP 340 and 346, will be CLOSED. All traffic, traveling in both directions, will be moved to the southbound lanes until early June. Business access will remain open.
• Throughout construction, expect LANE RESTRICTIONS, flagging, operations and DELAYS.

For more information please call DOT at 451-5065, Great Northwest, Inc. at 452-5617, or visit AlaskaNavigator.org.

ESTIMATED PROJECT COST: $7.4 million

SCHEDULE:

May 1	Northbound lanes closed on the Richardson Highway, between MP 340-346. All traffic, traveling in both directions, will be moved to the southbound lanes until early June. Business access will remain open.
May 10	Paving will begin, be alert to the large haul vehicles entering and exiting closed lanes.
Second week of June	Lane closure will be shifted to the northbound lanes. This will be a new traffic pattern.
Third week of June	Paving will start again, be alert to the large haul vehicles entering and exiting closed lanes.
Third week of July	Lane closures with traffic diversion ends – striping begins. Northbound traffic will be on the northbound lanes, and southbound traffic will be on the southbound lanes. Final road painting will begin. Expect lane closures until the end of July.
August	Project scheduled to be completed.

WHAT PROBLEMS WILL THIS PROJECT IMPROVE?
This project will repair the aging asphalt surfacing by recycling the existing asphalt as road base and adding a new asphalt surface; rehabilitate the deck and safety railing on the Moose Creek and Chena Flood Channel Bridges, and upgrade guardrail, signing, and striping.

ANY CHANGES TO TRAFFIC PATTERNS?
No – only temporary changes/detours during construction.

WILL TRAFFIC BE IMPACTED DURING CONSTRUCTION?
To minimize impacts to commuters, traffic will be shifted to one side of the road between the Eielson Gate and Laurance Road. For example, the northbound two lanes will be reduced to one, then on either end of the project that one lane will be shifted into one of the southbound lanes. This will create a two-lane two-way highway through the project. The speed limit will be 45 m.p.h. and no passing will be allowed. The use of this detour will minimize the additional time required to travel through the project. Access to Eielson Air Force Base, Moose Creek, Eielson Farm Road, Moose Creek Bluffs, and Hope Street will be maintained during the detour.

For the portion of the Richardson Highway south of the Eielson Gate to the end of the project the traffic control will be different. A pilot car will be utilized to direct traffic through the work zone. Road users will be prompted to wait for a pilot car to follow through the work zone. Please allot additional time to travel through the project.