State opens engineering and environmental studies for Naknek to King Salmon pathway

People who walk and bike the Alaska Peninsula Highway between Naknek and King Salmon moved a step closer to a dedicated pathway. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities gave notice Friday that it will begin engineering and environmental studies for the Naknek to King Salmon Non-Motorized Pathway. The agency will also hold a public meeting on the work.

Bristol Bay Borough described the project in a 2018 capital improvement document and listed it again in 2023. The plan calls for a three-phase pedestrian and bicycle path, about 3.5 miles from downtown Naknek to Shore Street and about 2.5 miles from downtown King Salmon to Flat Nose Henry Road. The borough estimates the cost at $6.87 million and cites pedestrian and bicyclist safety and economic development as reasons for the project. Residents currently walk and bike the highway with no separated facility.

The pathway scored 437.5 in the state's 2024 Transportation Alternatives Program awards, the federal program Alaska uses to fund rural non-motorized paths. The state project number is SFHWY00706. The federal project number is 0380018.