The road rebuild behind Spenard's makeover

Alaska has started planning a full rebuild of Chugach Way, the Spenard street between Spenard Road and Arctic Boulevard, and is taking public comment through July 31.

The project would lay new pavement, replace aging water and sewer lines, and add sidewalks, lighting, and bike access — the kind of walkable-street design that matches what's already happening along the corridor. Chugach Way sits at the center of Spenard's revitalization, where Cook Inlet Housing Authority has spent years and millions building new senior and family apartments on land that once held a strip club and a contaminated gas station. The road rebuild is the public-infrastructure side of that shift, catching up to the private investment already there.

It's a long way off. Construction isn't expected until around 2030, and the work now is early study, including environmental checks on whether it touches the area's floodplain and the Fish Creek corridor. The immediate step for residents and nearby businesses is to weigh in before comment closes at the end of July.