Federal grant of $545,820 funds Geist Road and Chena Pump Road corridor study

The stretch of Geist Road and Chena Pump Road running from University Avenue to Chena Small Tracts Road will be the subject of a federally funded corridor study in Fairbanks. A federal formula grant of $545,820 pays for the work; the Federal Highway Administration award goes to the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities and runs through July 31, 2027, according to the federal award record posted on USAspending.gov. A $54,180 state share brings the study to $600,000.

Fairbanks Area Surface Transportation Planning (FAST Planning), the metropolitan planning organization for the Fairbanks area, programmed the study into the Transportation Improvement Program in federal fiscal year 2025. Its Unified Planning Work Program, published July 23, 2024, framed the work as a study of the corridor from University Avenue to Chena Small Tracts Road meant to identify projects that improve safety and address access management for all users.

The issues predate the award. FAST Planning's existing conditions report of October 2025 says the study will examine safety and access control, covering driveway density, intersection configuration and conflicts between motorized and non-motorized users. A 2012 non-motorized plan, written under the organization's former name, called Geist Road a high-volume, high-speed roadway and noted commercial driveways crossing the shared-use path on its south side, the only continuous facility for cyclists.

The money buys analysis, not pavement. Construction along the corridor has come through separate work: the Chena Ridge and Chena Pump resurfacing project and the Chena Small Tracts roundabout, whose stated purpose is to improve safety and reduce wait times for traffic turning from side roads.