State proposes single-lane roundabout at Nordale and Peede roads in North Pole

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities proposes to replace the Nordale Road and Peede Road intersection in North Pole with a single-lane roundabout, according to a public notice issued Thursday. Public comments are due Nov. 30.

The department will present the plan at a public open house Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 5:30 to 7 pm at the North Star Volunteer Fire Department Station on Bradway Road. The project aims to improve safety and reduce crashes at the intersection, according to the department's Nordale Road / Peede Road project page.

At the first open house, on April 8 at Community Baptist Church in North Pole, the department showed its design options and took comments through May 8, according to an earlier notice.

Beyond the roundabout, the notice lists disability-access improvements, better drainage in and around the intersection, new signs, updated roadside hardware, utility work and vegetation clearing as needed for construction. The notice also says the department may acquire additional right-of-way if necessary, though the project page says no right-of-way impacts are anticipated.

The project's total cost is listed at about $4.85 million, funded through the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, according to a state transportation program document. The project page says construction is anticipated to begin in 2028, depending on funding.

Staff are working through preliminary design. The project page says the early concepts will support a design study report at about 35% design.

A separate department project proposes roundabouts at up to seven Badger Road intersections, including where Badger meets Peede Road and Nordale Road. That project would begin with one or two of the roundabouts, and its survey runs through Nov. 6.

Comments can be made on comment sheets at the open house or sent to the project's engineering manager, Ethan Graetz.