Welcome

      

Title 21 Rewrite

      

Who We Are

      

2020 Plan

      

Transportation

      

Air Quality

      


 

 

 

Transportation

 

Planning

Transportation planning relies on land use planning. In Anchorage, that linkage has yet to be developed.

Anchorage 2020, Anchorage's Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2001 with the support of hundreds of citizens.  It calls for change - from a sprawled, auto oriented western American town - into a modern, northern city that nurtures its neighborhoods and protects its parks and wildlife by concentrating its urban growth and providing transportation choices beyond the automobile. 

Linking land use and transportation decisions is still a major challenge in Anchorage, partly because transportation and land use functions are separately administered within local government. Land use is a Planning Department function while transportation is within the Traffic Department. 

Since Anchorage's Long Range Transportation Plan plan controls billions of transportation dollars to be invested over the next twenty years, it greatly controls how effectively Anchorage will achieve its comprehensive plan goals to become a great northern city and

    • grow up, not out,
    • protect neighborhoods and open spaces,
    • improve air and water quality,
    • reduce reliance on the automobile,
    • improve transit and
    • make it safe and easy to bike and walk.

ACC’s goal:  For Anchorage to implement Anchorage 2020 through its Long Range Transportation Plan.

Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)

Transportation planner Walt Parker claims that state proposals in the 1970’s to dissect Anchorage with major highways led to community polarization that was not resolved during city and borough government unification, or since then, leaving Anchorage without a unified transportation vision or plan.

ACC’s goal:  Anchorage rewrote its LRTP for the first time in over a decade. Unfortunately, it failed to follow the guidance of Anchorage 2020. It is a plan that continues reliance on cars and more roads. That strategy has failed in many other cities. ACC will continue to work for a process to:

    • Broadly involve the public in directing future land uses and transportation investments.
    • Bring citizens together in workshops or "charettes" to develop "scenarios" of Anchorage's future land uses and transportation systems,
    • Refine the general land uses in Anchorage 2020 into density patterns neighborhoods will support.
    • Link land use and transportation planning,
    • Using up-to-date computer modeling techniques to examine the strengths and weaknesses of different future land use "scenarios" in achieving the goals and objectives of Anchorage 2020.
    • Refine land use and transportation alternatives until Anchorage comes as close as possible to achieving Anchorage 2020 goals.

Link:  www.muni.org/transplan/

Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions (AMATS)

AMATS is the federally required Metropolitan Planning Organization of state and local officials that spends Anchorage’s federal transportation dollars (that are received in a 6:1 ratio – 6 dollars returned for 1 dollar contributed as fuel tax.) Since Anchorage is the only local government represented at AMATS, it should take a leadership role in developing local policies and budgets, in comparison with most MPO’s  made of several local governments coming together as a regional organization

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
AMATS’ three year budget or “program” lists the projects and programs that allocate Anchorage’s share of the federal transportation dollars coming to Alaska. This program or budget is regularly amended, making it hard to track spending.

ACC’s goal:  For AMATS’ TIP (or budget) to
o Implement Anchorage 2020.
o Balance investments across road, transit and non-motorized transportation investments.

http://www.muni.org/transplan/tip.cfm

Citizens Transportation Plan

The Anchorage Citizens Coalition prepared a “Citizens Transportation Plan” in spring 2005 to provide depth and detail for Anchorage’s 2005 Long Range Transportation Plan. The Citizens Transportation Plan provides realistic steps to begin shaping the northern community described in Anchorage 2020. 

The Citizens Plan recognizes that Anchorage’s transportation system must sustain the city’s economic health by accommodating the needs of businesses and supporting Anchorage’s role in the state and international economies. The Plan addresses local transportation needs for cost-effective road, transit, freight, bicycle, and pedestrian improvements.  It helps make Anchorage a city that attracts families who might otherwise choose to live in the Mat Su Valley.

Other northern cities around the globe rely on compact land development and comfortable, frequent transit to make their cities attractive, healthy, functional places to live and work.  in order to demonstrate how transportation investments can improve livability while providing mobility.  The plan offers comprehensive policy objectives as well as investments listed by geographic area to clarify the plan’s intent and allow easier understanding of proposals.

ACC’s Citizens Transportation Plan

Regional Transportation Planning Organization   (RTPO)

The RTPO grew from periodic meetings between the Anchorage Assembly and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly, which together contain well over half the population of Alaska.  The group adopted its first mission and bylaws in 2003.

That same year, the Alaska Department of Transportation eliminated all funding to staff the organization, explaining other regional transportation priorities were more important. 

The RTPO has adopted project priorities for federal funding which include developing a regional transportation plan that would include a regional visioning process.

Link: http://www.dowl.com/projects/regtranplan

 

ACC’s goal:  For the RTPO to

o       Work with citizens to establish community values held in common between Mat Su and Anchorage residents, and develop a “vision” of our collective future.

o       Build a regional transportation system appropriate for our sub arctic environment.

Important Road Studies

Knik Arm Crossing A bridge from Government Hill across the Inlet.

The project is a big one that has been rejected by Anchorage citizens for 40 years. On February 12, 2007, Anchorage's Planning & Zoning Commission rejected it again. The Commissioners agreed that the proposal is so flawed that "nothing we can do here tonight" could make it beneficial to the city of Anchorage.

Despite that, the Assembly voted to recommend that the Knik Arm Crossing project ("KAC") be added to Anchorage's list of necessary transportation projects for the Long Range Transportation Plan ("LRTP").

We have prepared a fact sheet we hope you will help us distribute. Print copies and give them to everyone you can.

On June 14, 2007 Michael Replogle, Transportation Director for the national non-profit Environmental Defense, spoke to AMATS regarding the KAC. Here are his comments.

When you are stuck in traffic, do you ever think "If only we had a bridge across the Inlet, I'd be home by now?" When you read about another traffic fatality, do you think "A bridge would make driving safer?" We didn't think so. (Read more ..)

For extensive information, go here: http://www.knikbridgefacts.org/

For ACC's fact sheet click here.

 

East Dowling Extension between Lake Otis and Abbott Loop /Bragaw Road.

The project would consist of reconstructing Dowling Road from Lake Otis Parkway east to Norm Drive and constructing a new portion of Dowling Road from Norm Drive to Abbott Loop Road, a total distance of approximately one mile.

http://www.dowl.com/projects/eastdowling 

East 48th/Boniface Extension south of Tudor along the north boundary of Far North Bicentennial Park.

The MOA is proposing an extension of 48th Avenue that will parallel Tudor Road and provide access to future development in the 3500 Tudor area. This road would connect the intersection of Boniface Parkway to the intersection of 48th Avenue and Bragaw Street and would connect to Abbott Loop and Dowling Roads

 

Take a look, you thought that was natural parkland, didn't you?

http://www.dowl.com/projects/48thavenue/index.htm 

 

Bragaw or Abbott Loop Extension between Tudor Rd and E 68th Ave

Including the Bragaw Extension in Anchorage's 1991 Long Range Transportation Plan was an important element in motivating the Anchorage Assembly to reject the plan that year. 

For years, citizens fought the road because it would cut cross important creeks and wetlands that drain from east Anchorage's Chugach State Park wilderness.  Nearby residents fear the extension will bring traffic noise and air pollution.  Road builders say it provides an essential connection within Anchorage's transportation grid. 

Numerous attempts were made since 1991 to fund the Bragaw Extension with federal transportation dollars. 

Finally, in part to avoid the environmental and public process requirements that come with federal funding, Bragaw proponents inserted the road in a statewide bond package at the 11th hour of the 2002 legislative session.  They did not notify fellow legislators or the public.  The next fall, two thirds of voters said yes to a statewide bond package that included $37,000,000 for the Bragaw Extension.

The Bragaw extension is expected to be completed in late 2007.

http://www.dowl.com/projects/abbottloop/index.htm

East Anchorage Study of Transportation  (EAST) 2003

Intended to study alternatives to building the Bragaw extension across parklands between Tudor Road and Abbott Loop Road, EAST ended in the summer 2003 before completing final modeling.  

ACC cautions against full acceptance of EAST’s conclusions based on narrow study purposes and limited transportation modeling.

Contact Dowl Engineers at 907 562 2000

Citizen Organizations

Strawberry Road Committee

A group of citizens living near Strawberry Road (in southwest Anchorage) researched alternatives to Municipal plans to build a wide, fast, expensive collector road that they feel will compromise neighborhood character, endanger pedestrians and eliminate mature trees.  Their report is a wide-ranging compendium citing many national experts and up to date traffic engineering strategies. 

The Strawberry Road Committee welcomes participation of other neighborhoods threatened by road proposals that will harm Anchorage's quality of life while increasing taxpayer costs.

http://www.geocities.com/sandlakecc3/strawberryrd/srcreport.html

Anchorage Road Coalition

As the Strawberry Road Committee met with community councils and neighborhood associations, they found others who were concerned about overly wide and overly speedy road proposals.  Groups and individuals banded together to form the Anchorage Road Coalition that promotes Context Sensitive Design in road planning and construction.  Roads of concern include the Old Glenn Highway near Fire Lake, De Armoun Road, McCrae Road, Chugach Way and others.  Contact Frank or Jeanne McQueary 243-2999

 

What can I do?

ANSWER

CD's of the 170 page plan are available from the municipality at 343-8406 or
download the Long Range Transportation Plan from www.muni.org/transplan/

Endorse ACC's Citizens Transportation Plan.

Use ACC's Long Range Transportation Plan Alert for writing comments or testifying.

More information is available from ACC's Anchorage Daily News Compass published September 19, 2005

 

 

 

We're working hard to make Anchorage the most livable city in America!

© 2005 Paid for by Anchorage Citizens Coalition     907-274-2624    

Website design by Casey Fenton Consulting