Olympic Mountain Loop Road project slowly moving ahead
By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times
Olympic Mountain Loop Road is a steep, circuitous dirt road in Girdwood that is heavily used year-round, especially during the ski season.
Located in front of the Sitzmark bar and the Alyeska East condominiums parking lot, the two-way, horseshoe road that winds up and around to Arlberg Road, can be treacherous to drive. During wintertime vehicles commonly slip and slide up and down the steep upper sections of the road.
Parking is also difficult as people squeeze their vehicles into improvised spots alongside the road, impeding snow removal. The road tends to be a pot-holed, muddy mess in the off-winter months with serious drainage problems during heavy rainfall.
But all that should change when a paved road, complete with parallel parking and new culverts, is constructed. But first, the public comment period needed to be completed, which it is was after a meeting was held at the Girdwood Community Center Thursday, Sept. 15.
About a dozen people attended as comments were heard, and the final step in the public process was completed.
“We’re still in the preliminary stages of completing the engineering report,” said Aaron Christie, DOWL project manager. “We’re still gathering information, but we’ve done all of our field work and topographic surveys, and traffic counts – pedestrian and bicycle traffic. And our hydrologist has been out there looking at the existing culverts.”
They’ve also worked out the traffic patterns, he said, which is a sticking point for some people as was expressed at the Girdwood public meeting as well as Girdwood Board of Supervisor meetings.
Christie said most people are in favor of a one-way road, but their have been a few people that believe strongly in it continuing as a two-way road.
The advantage of a one-way road is that more parking spots can be built – about 25 in total, said Christie. A two-way road would allow for only about 10 parking spots. Christie added that space needs to be set aside for snow removal as well.
The project designers are also dealing with a limitation of space in an area that was not properly planned for the growth of businesses and residential living in the Olympic Mountain Loop area.
Christie said they are trying to accommodate pedestrians on foot and bikes by adding a pedestrian pathway, and they need to build new culverts to alleviate the drainage problems.
He said they also plan to level the uphill grade of the road at the beginning of the loop to help alleviate skidding during snow days.
The project has been earmarked for federal dollars and that money needs to be spent by 2014, said Christie. Construction is planned to begin in 2013. The project is being overseen by Todd Jacobson of The Boutet Company, which is working on behalf of the municipality.
“All the conclusions will be summarized,” Christie said. “The draft is due to the municipality at the end of October. We expect to present the public with the final report in January, and it will also be available on the website in January.”
The website address is: www.olympicmtnloop.info.
