Alaska DOT seeks comment on roundabouts at up to seven Badger Road intersections

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is seeking public comment on proposed roundabouts at up to seven Badger Road intersections. A public survey opened Friday and closes Nov. 6.

The project would begin with one or two roundabouts and add locations over time, the department said. The candidates are Old Badger Loop Road West, Holmes Road and Peede Road, Nordale Road, Bradway Road, Repp Road and Marigold Road, Peridot Street and Plack Road.

Crash data identified the intersections as candidates under the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, which requires a data-driven approach to reducing traffic deaths and serious injuries.

The project page says crash counts at the intersections remain high despite a two-way left-turn lane built along most of the road in 2019.

The department's 2019 turn-lane project page names Holmes and Peede as the intersection with the highest crash frequency within the project limits.

Alaska and the Federal Highway Administration have a Roundabouts First policy, which requires considering a roundabout before other options such as a traffic signal. The department says roundabout crashes tend to happen at slower speeds and are typically less severe.

Three roundabouts near the Richardson Highway interchange at Santa Claus Lane and Badger Road followed 12 injury crashes in the preceding 10 years. The department reports no injury crashes in the first seven years after construction.