Peterson Avenue closes both weekend days in Sitka for utility line work

Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians using Peterson Avenue near Halibut Point Road will be pushed onto a detour for the full weekend. The street closes Saturday, Aug. 22 and Sunday, Aug. 23 while Island Contractors Inc. installs a utility line crossing both lanes, according to the Alaska 511 traffic event posted Thursday.

Alaska 511 does not name a detour route. It tells drivers to follow posted traffic control devices and flagger instructions.

The weekend shutdown sits inside a larger job. Island Contractors is replacing sidewalk and upgrading pedestrian lighting along Halibut Point Road near Peterson Avenue, working 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for roughly six weeks. Alaska 511 says Peterson Avenue may close again temporarily during later phases, with traffic detoured.

The corridor upgrade traces to a state project funded by the Federal Highway Administration, with Alaska matching 10 percent. In its invitation to bid, with bids due Oct. 28, 2025, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said the work would establish a pedestrian pass-through crossing and improve sight distance at the intersection, with all work finished by Nov. 30, 2026.

Questions go to Island Contractors Inc. at 907-500-9041 or the project manager at 907-321-2528.