Anchorage's 5th and 6th Avenue project rises to $370 million in draft 2052 plan

The long-planned rebuild of 5th and 6th avenues now carries a $370 million price tag. The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities asked Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions to revise the estimate in its 2052 Metropolitan Transportation Plan.

The request splits the work into two projects. The segment from L Street to Gambell Street is estimated at $315 million. The segment from Gambell Street to the Airport Heights intersection is estimated at $55 million. The project description also picks up new language: the work will include drainage.

Where that money comes from is unsettled. AMATS Coordinator Aaron Jongenelen wrote in an August 6 memorandum to the Technical Advisory Committee that the cost "is expected to be covered by additional funding above and beyond the historical funding provided by DOT&PF in the AMATS area." AMATS staff's own summary of the planning discussion flags a concern, not a conclusion: the jump in cost and the added drainage scope may signal scope creep. Staff also raised questions about affordability and whether the project is yet sufficiently defined.

The people most directly affected are not in the room for those planning decisions. Downtown Anchorage businesses along the corridor face reduced foot traffic, detours, noise, and parking and access impacts while construction is under way. Those disruptions could affect customer access, deliveries and day-to-day operations. Residents who use downtown streets face detours, lane closures and changes to travel patterns. Longer term, the open question is whether the project actually solves the corridor's drainage and roadway problems.

The corridor has been a state work area for years. A 2020 Central Region construction map listed 5th and 6th Avenue resurfacing from Karluk Street to Airport Heights Drive, describing milling, paving, subgrade rehabilitation, ADA improvements, signage and striping. The new estimate covers a longer stretch and a broader scope. For comparison, an earlier Alaska News article on the 2052 programming noted that four phases of the Fairview Bypass entered short-term programming at $220.5 million.

Staff recommended that the Technical Advisory Committee review the memo and the attached DOT&PF cost estimate, then forward a recommendation to the AMATS Policy Committee, which holds the adoption decision. The committee's Thursday agenda listed the 2052 plan as an action item. The meeting materials do not record what the committee recommended.

The Policy Committee has not yet adopted the 2052 plan. AMATS gives members of the public three minutes to comment at each committee meeting and accepts written comment at [email protected].