Alaska 2006 Five Percent Report

This report is in response to the Federal requirement that each state describe at least 5 percent of its locations currently exhibiting the most severe highway safety needs, in accordance with Sections 148(c)(1)(D) and 148(g)(3)(A), of Title 23, United States Code. Each state’s report is to include potential remedies to the hazardous locations identified; estimated costs of the remedies; and impediments to implementation of the remedies other than costs. The reports included on this Web site represent a variety of methods utilized and various degrees of road coverage. Therefore, this report cannot be compared with the other reports included on this Web site.

Protection from Discovery and Admission into Evidence—Under 23 U.S.C. 148(g)(4) information collected or compiled for any purpose directly relating to this report shall not be subject to discovery or admitted into evidence in a Federal or State court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages arising from any occurrence at a location identified or addressed in the reports.

Additional information, including the specific legislative requirements, can be found in the guidance provided by the Federal Highway Administration,
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/safetealu/fiveguidance.htm.

Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities

Top Five Percent of Hazardous Locations

This section of the report has been prepared in accordance with 23 USC 148(c)(1)(D) and the guidance transmitted under cover of the April 10, 2006 memorandum from Michael Halladay, FHWA Acting Associate Administrator for Safety.

Methodology.

The top five percent of hazardous intersections and road segments, as shown in the tables on the following pages, were identified by:

Computing accident rates over five years.
Comparing accident rates to statewide average rates for each intersection and segment type.
Listing the intersections and segments that exceeded statewide averages by a statistically significant amount.
Extracting the top five percent.

We will revise our methodology next year to focus on major injury and fatal crashes.

Extent of coverage of crash data system.

Currently, Alaska tracks all accidents on public roads and is able to locate between 70 and 80 percent of them on a GIS-based highway centerline backbone. We are working to expand our coverage. However, because many of our roads are in villages without connection to the main road system, it may not be cost-effective to collect centerline data on all roads in the state. Many of these roads have very low traffic volumes and few accidents. We plan to have nearly complete coverage on public roads connected to the main road system by 2008 or 2009.

State contact person.

Kurt Smith, State Traffic and Safety Engineer,
907-465-6963, kurt_smith@dot.state.ak.us

Alaska DOT/PF
Highway Safety Improvement Program

Intersections with the Greatest Safety Needs
( Top 5% of Intersections in Each Region with a Safety Index Greater than One)

Location	Region	Safety Index (AR/CR)	Potential Remedies	Estimated Costs	Implementation Impediments	Comments
College Road & Margaret Avenue	N	2.20	Realign offset intersection to align with Colleger Road & Antoinette Avenue	$3,440,000	None	HSIP project in design stage. Anticipate constuction in 2009.
Rickert Street & 27th Avenue	N	2.00	Convert YIELD signs to STOP signs	$500	None	This is a routine maintenance item that was forwarded to the City of Fairbanks Engineering Department.
SEWARD HIGHWAY @ STERLING HIGHWAY	C	4.26	Additional curve warning signs and sight distance improvements. Sent to M&O September 2005.	$25,000	None.	Signs and clearing performed, Spring of 2006.
E STREET @ 8TH AVENUE * ANCHORAGE	C	3.40	Additional Overhead lane use signing, conversion to two-way roadway.	$150,000	Choice of overhead signs verses two-way conversion hinges on decisions regarding the city's new convention center, to be constructed at 8th Avenue @ E Street.	Awaiting final decision on downtown street network flow changes. Hold for upcoming E Street Corridor project.
8TH AVENUE @ G STREET * ANCHORAGE	C	2.79	Additional Overhead lane use signing, conversion to two-way roadway.	$150,000	Choice of overhead signs verses two-way conversion hinges on decisions regarding the city's new convention center, to be constructed at 8th Avenue @ E Street.	Awaiting final decision on downtown street network flow changes.
INTL AIRPORT ROAD @ SEWARD FRONTAGE ROAD SB * ANCHORAGE	C	2.54	Relocate guardrail to provide additional maneuvering room. Add additional "T" intersection signing.	$30,000	None.	None. Guardrail and signing installed Summer 2003.
BRAGAW STREET SOUTH @ AMBASSADOR DRIVE * ANCHORAGE	C	2.41	Close median openings on Bragaw Street, construct U-Turn lane at Ambassador Drive.	$300,000	None.	HSIP project nominated to implement the potential remedies. Work being added to Bragaw Street Rehabilitation project by MOA. Earliest construction in 2007.
ARCTIC BLVD @ POTTER DRIVE * ANCHORAGE	C	2.36	Construct separate left turn channelization in Arctic Boulevard and additional turning lane on Potter Drive.	$1,600,000	None.	HSIP project in Design Phase. Construction anticipated in l2007.
OLD SEWARD HIGHWAY @ 34TH AVENUE ANCHORAGE	C	2.30	Install northbound median island and additional STOP signs to improve visibility.	$150,000	None.	HSIP project nominated 2005. Design to begin 2006.
ABBOTT ROAD @ BIRCH ROAD * ANCHORAGE	C	2.29	Remove gabion wall and install new retaining wall further back to improve sight distance.	$550,000	Potential impacts to utilities, right of way, and pedestrian overcrossing structure.	Being held to be combined with upcoming Abbott Road: Lake Otis to Hillside Drive reconstruction project.
JEFFERSON @ 1ST STREET * KETCHIKAN	S	1.32	No remedy identified.	N/A	None.	Third Avenue project completed that should reduce traffic and accidents at this intersection.
LEMON @ SUNNY CONNECTOR	S	1.22	Construct interchange.	N/A	None.	Proposed STIP project.