State has not confirmed Steadman Street reopened, and Nome school buses start today

Nome Public Schools buses begin running this morning for the first day of school, three days after Steadman Street was due to reopen to traffic on Friday, Aug. 14. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities reported the ADA improvements project remains on schedule, but its weekly update does not confirm the reopening actually occurred.

Crews paved the street August 10 through 12 and have installed the new sidewalks, curbs and gutters, according to the department's Northern Region construction update. What is left is mostly along the shoulders or outside the roadway and will continue after the reopening.

The project replaces sidewalks, curb ramps, approaches, and curbs and gutters with features that meet Americans with Disabilities Act design standards, from Front Street through the intersection of Fifth Avenue. The old sidewalks had settled into uneven surfaces that collected water and froze into slippery ice in winter. Embankment material beneath the sidewalk and roadway contributed to that settlement, so the department reconstructed the roadway rather than replacing the walkway alone, with excavation of up to four feet where needed.

Knik Construction holds the contract, worth about $4.4 million, and the state set a completion date of Sept. 30. The Alaska Division of the Federal Highway Administration covers about 91 percent of the cost on Nome street projects against a 9 percent state match, the same split used on the Bering Street rehabilitation.

During earlier planning, community commenters asked the department to keep Steadman Street open during traffic diversions for elders and people with disabilities at Munaqsri Senior Apartments who walk and lack transportation. The weekly update does not say how that access was handled during the closure, and it reflects only the department's account of the work.

Current road conditions statewide are posted at 511.alaska.gov.