The Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission accepted a concept report Tuesday for the Alaska Department of Transportation's plan to rebuild the Seward Highway and Tudor Road interchange in midtown Anchorage.

The project will replace the aging bridge and address safety, congestion, and pedestrian concerns. The department recommends a tight diamond interchange design to modernize the structure and improve operations, following a 2019 design study that identified the tight diamond as the preferred alternative to replace the existing compressed diamond configuration. The department is conducting environmental review under a 2023 memorandum of understanding with the Federal Highway Administration that granted DOT authority to conduct environmental review and consultation for the project. The 35 percent design study report will return to the commission for a future public hearing.

Galen Jones, the DOT project manager, said the project will include protected 10-foot shared-use pathways separated from vehicle lanes by concrete barriers on the new bridge. "On this project, we're looking at having a barrier, so a protected shared-use pathway between vehicle lanes," Jones said. "And then there will be a vehicle lane, shoulder, some sort of protection, likely a concrete barrier, and then most likely a 10-foot shared-use pathway."

Jones said pedestrian safety is the top concern from stakeholders. "I would say the number one concern we have from stakeholders is non-motorized safety," he said.

Five pedestrian fatalities have occurred in the corridor, according to the concept report. The project team is examining mid-block crossings, potential signalization at McGinnis Street, and access management at Shelikov Street to address crash patterns. The project limits extend from Old Seward to McGinnis Street on Tudor Road.

Jones said the department is conducting a safety and crash analysis of the entire corridor. "We're doing a safety and crash analysis of existing crashes and safety within that entire corridor, and part of that is looking at potential solutions at Shelikov and McGinnis Street because we know because of the previous— there have been fatalities over at McGinnis and then just throughout the corridor," he said.

The project anticipates only minor right-of-way acquisitions with no relocations, Jones said. Widened pedestrian facilities will be added on both sides of the new bridge, and existing facilities on both sides of Tudor Road through the project limits will be improved.

The project is part of a series of improvements to the Seward Highway between Rabbit Creek Road and 36th Avenue. The 35 percent design study report will include more detailed analysis of crash reduction, traffic patterns, and specific geometric design. The commission will review that report at a future public hearing before the project advances to final design and construction.