Alaska 2007 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.

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Alaska
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.

During December 2006, State and Regional traffic engineers revised the Top 5% Report to focus on intersections. The top 5% of road segments are not included this year because we have found segment prioritization to be highly subjective. Selection of segment termini and alternate methods of handling intersections along segments are crucial in prioritization but difficult to handle uniformly.

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

1. Computing accident rates over five years.
2. Comparing accident rates to statewide average rates for each intersection.
3. Listing the intersections that exceeded statewide averages by a statistically significant amount.
4. Extracting the top five percent.

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@alaska.gov

Location	Region	Safety Index (AR/CR)	Potential Remedies	Estimated  Costs	Implementation Impediments	Comments
Intersection of Badger Rd, Peede Rd & Holmes Rd	N	1.77	Reconstruct Badger Rd curve with a 3% superelevation	$580,000	None	Proposed FFY 2008 HSIP project
Lucille Street @ Fred Nelson Avenue, Wasilla	C	6.22	Traffic Signal installation	$750,000	None	Traffic signal under contract, construction in 2007-2008.
36th Avenue @ Lois Drive, Anchorage	C	4.56	Channelization improvements, approach realignment	Unknown	Right of way acquisition, roadway realignment extensive for small number of crashes with no defined pattern and low crash severity	7 total crashes, low severity and no defined pattern.  Realignment not justified by crash data.
Third Avenue @ Ingra Street, Anchorage	C	4.54	Lane use control, curb bulbs, and signing improvements.	$370,000	None	Recent HSIP.  New nomination for further channelization improvements.  Design begun in 2007.
Bragaw Street @ Thompson Avenue, Anchorage	C	4.46	None identified. Accidents spread over several intersections. No strong pattern.	N/A	No mitigation identified	No mitigation identified.
A Street @ 10th Avenue, Anchorage	C	4.28	Northbound rear-end crashes.  Traffic signal timing improvements at the 9th Avenue signal, 1 block to the north.	N/A	None	Municipality of Anchorage to review and modify traffic signal operations at 9th Avenue @ A Street as part of the upcoming 9th Avenue rehabilitation project, scheduled for FFY2008-09.
Debarr Road @ Boston Street, Anchorage	C	3.73	MOA will modify striping and tune up curve warning signing here.	$2,000	None	Signs and striping improvements installed by MOA, 2006.
Tudor Road @ Checkmate Drive, Anchorage	C	3.44	Side street approach realignment and raised median channelization.	$500,000	None	An HSIP project has been nominated as part of the FFY2008 HSIP to realign the side street approaches to Tudor Road and install raised median channelization at this and several other locations between this intersection and 1.5 miles west on Tudor Road.
Seward Highway @ Sterling Highway, Kenai Peninsula	C	3.26	Additional curve warning signs and sight distance improvements. Sent to M&O September 2005.	$25,000	None.	Signs and clearing performed, Spring of 2006.  Awaiting crash results.
Arctic Avenue West @ Glenn Highway, Palmer	C	3.23	Traffic signal timing and phasing changes to provide protected left turns.	$100,000	None	HSIP project scheduled for 2008 will make traffic signal phasing and equipment modifications at this intersection as part of a larger project to improve Arctic Avenue.
Denali Street @ 33rd Avenue, Anchorage	C	3.19	None identified.  Crashes occur somewhat equally on all intersection approaches.	N/A	No mitigation identified	There may be an intersection coding problem with some crashes miscoded to this intersection.