Gasline Trail bridge work would bring closures, leash rules to Far North Bicentennial

Trail users in Far North Bicentennial Park would see closures near the Tank Trail while the North Gasline Trail bridge over Campbell Creek is replaced, according to plans for the project. The Federal Highway Administration is taking bids through Dec. 1.

The plans mark three closure areas, north and south of the Tank Trail intersection. Near the closures, dogs must be leashed during construction, even in what the plans label an off-leash corridor. The contractor must post closure maps at the Klutina, North Bivouac and Basher Drive trailheads and where the Bulldog and Tank trails meet.

The work would replace the old crossing with an 80-foot prefabricated steel bridge and add a 61-foot boardwalk, with an optional second boardwalk of 51 feet. The agency estimates the job at $700,000 to $2 million, according to the bid documents, and says any award depends on available funding. The base work is due by Aug. 10, 2027. Salvaged parts of the old bridge go to the Municipality of Anchorage.

The new bridge would be wider and strong enough for equipment and emergency vehicles, Alaska News reported Oct. 30, when the agency first sought bids.

The state's draft transportation plan lists $2 million for the project through the Federal Lands Access Program, which pays for transportation projects that reach federal land. Here, that's the Bureau of Land Management's Campbell Tract, next to the park.