Part of KGB road safety corridor decommissioned as DOT plans next phase of project

WASILLA, Alaska (KTUU) - The first phase of the Knik-Goose Bay Road reconstruction project is “substantially completed,” according to the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities.

For more than a decade, DOT&PF has been working to improve the safety of drivers traveling on the road. It was a designated safety corridor in 2009, according to the agency.

The project’s first phase began in 2022. It involved the road up to the intersections of West Fairview Loop and South Clapp Street, near milepost 4.5. Knik-Goose Bay Road was expanded from a two-lane road in that area to a four-lane divided road.

Justin Shelby, DOT‘s central region administrative operations manager, said there are only a few more things that will need to be done before the project is complete in the area. He expects that work to begin in April 2025, but said it will not affect traffic.

“These include some topsoil and seeding at select locations, completion of the noise barrier wall in front of the Wasilla Senior Housing, and paving the pathway between Riley Avenue and Frank Smith Way. All of this will be completed by the end of July 2025, if not before,” he said.

Shelby said the second phase of the project is still being planned out, but it is expected to continue a similar four-lane divided road to the Settlers Bay area.

“Right now, we’re looking at construction possibly in 2027,” Shelby said. “We’re obviously hoping to accelerate that timeline, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to get to that point.”

The Knik-Goose Bay Road Safety Corridor is one of four Safety Corridors in the state, according to DOT.

“One of the concerns with many of our safety corridors and with KGB in particular is the risk of head-on collisions. Serious accidents can still occur, but the risk of a head-on collision with the divided roadway like this is severely lessened,” he said.

He said it is too early to tell if the divided highway in the area of the project’s first phase on Knik-Goose Bay Road has made the road safer.

“We will be collecting the data and absolutely looking to see that the crash statistics for fatal and serious crashes have indeed been reduced, but we won’t have that data here for several more years,” he said.

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