By Todd Jacobson
Special to the Turnagain Times
The recent upgrade of Girdwood Place within the New Girdwood Town Site represents a collective effort between the Girdwood community, the Municipality of Anchorage’s (MOA) People Mover and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The project includes the complete upgrade of the streetscape—including paving, curb and gutter, pedestrian facilities, lighting and landscaping amenities. A key component of the project is the provision of a central location for Girdwood commuters to park their vehicles and board a shuttle for Anchorage. In addition to upgrading Girdwood Place, 38 on-street parking spaces, a bus turnout and a surface parking lot containing 24 spaces now characterize the project area.
The development of the MOA-FTA sponsored project has been closely coordinated with Phase 1 of the Girdwood Streets and Drainage Improvements project, a pending project that upgrades the three remaining roadway segments of the New Girdwood Town Site and also significantly improves the Town Square Park. The project was designed by R&M Consultants, an Anchorage-based engineering firm, and was recently constructed during the 2008-2009 construction by Construction Unlimited, Inc. The total project development costs were approximately $1.5 million.
With an increasing amount of guidelines, regulations, policies and stakeholder involvement that characterize publically-funded projects, the completion of the Girdwood Transportation Center Improvements project—like so many other projects—did not get completed without unintended consequences. The most significant being the oversight of the design, approval and construction of 40-foot street lights along both Girdwood Place and the off-street parking facility. The existing street lights do not meet the criteria provided in the recently adopted Chapter 9 of Anchorage Municipal Code (AMC) Title 21. The criteria in Chapter 9 of AMC Title 21, Section 21.09.070 Site Development and Design Standards, states that ‘Street lighting on local residential streets should be avoided if possible.’ In addition, the code also states ‘Street light poles at intersections of local streets with local streets, and along local streets, shall not exceed twenty (20) feet in height.”
Unfortunately, the newly-adopted criteria was not identified during the extensive review and approval process of the final design documents plans. In fact, it was not until after the street lights had been installed that it was brought to the Municipality’s attention. The street lights are now being re-designed to replace the existing 40-foot poles with new 20-foot poles at the street intersections. For safety purposes, a 20-foot pole will also be includes at the mid-block location of Girdwood Place to address pedestrian safety. These improvements will be included as part of the Girdwood Streets and Drainage Improvements project proposed for construction in 2009.
It should be noted, however, that despite the issues surrounding the street lights, the project has been widely-endorsed and supported by the Girdwood community. Along with Girdwood, The Boutet Company believes the project has resulted in a facility that will address future needs identified by the Girdwood community. With growth in the Girdwood Valley projected to increase in coming years, the project provides a facility that promotes commercial growth, public transportation, and the needs and safety of pedestrians.
With the near completion of the Girdwood Transportation Center Improvements project, our focus is now on completing the design documents and subsequent bidding of the highly-anticipated Girdwood Streets and Drainage Improvements project.
The scope of this project dates back to 2001, when the community formally documented the recognition of the interdependence of transportation and commercial activity in the Girdwood Valley as part of a comprehensive planning effort. The planning effort was sponsored by the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) to develop specific recommendations for public improvements to stimulate economic development in the Girdwood community. The master plan, entitled the Commercial Areas and Transportation Master Plan, Girdwood, Alaska, dated Feb. 2001, reflected the widely endorsed priorities of the Girdwood community and recommended numerous transportation-related improvement projects throughout the Girdwood.
This project upgrades many of the highest priorities identified in the previous master plan effort, including the upgrade of the remaining roads that comprise the New Girdwood Townsite and the Town Square Park. Specific roadways include Hightower Road, Lindblad Avenue, and Holmgren Place.
To fund the construction of such improvements, the Alaska DOT&PF was granted a federal $10 million earmark to construct street and drainage improvement projects that facilitate and support economic development within the Girdwood community. Subsequently, DOT&PF and MOA entered into a Transfer of Responsibility Agreement that permitted the MOA to administer approximately $5.5 million of the $10 million grant appropriation for the design and construction of the Girdwood Streets and Drainage Improvements project. The remaining monies have been allocated for the previous and on-going work associated with the completion of the Crow Creek Upgrade project.
The project design development process is generally complete, other than the final acquisition of one remaining ROW easement necessary to construct the project. The easement in located on the USPS property and is necessary to complete the design documents to allow DOT&PF to bid the project for construction. It is hoped the issues surrounding the ROW will be resolved very soon to allow the project to be constructed in the 2009 construction season. Similar to the Girdwood Transportation Center Improvements project, the design now incorporates the criteria presented in Chapter 9 for street lighting.
Todd Jacobson is a professional engineer and principal with The Boutet Company, a local project management and engineering company located in Anchorage. The Boutet Company is contracted by the Municipality of Anchorage to provide project management services for the Project Management & Engineering Department. He can be reached at 522-6776.