NOTICE OF INTENT TO BEGIN ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND NOTICE OF FLOODPLAIN INVOLVEMENT

Project Title: Kachemak Bay Drive Milepost 0-3.5 Reconstruction
Project No.: CFHWY01258

The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) has assumed the responsibilities of the Federal Highway Administration under 23 U.S.C. 327 and is soliciting comments and information on a proposal to strengthen and protect the designated Tsunami evacuation route from the intersection of Kachemak Bay Drive and Sterling Highway to the intersection of Kachemak Bay Drive and East End Road. Work includes raising and widening 3.5 miles to improve motorized and non-motorized passage. The road improvement would increase the safety and efficiency of travel by the public along this route both before and during an emergency.

The proposed project may include:

• Improving existing surfaces
• Roadway and/or shoulder widening
• Drainage improvements
• Safety improvements
• Intersection improvements
• Non-motorized pathway addition
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements
• Utility work
• Vegetation clearing or grubbing

The project is expected to include drainage improvements in a mapped floodplain and is adjacent to Flood Zone VE which is designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as having a high risk of flooding due to storm surges. Project activities, such as drainage improvements and culvert replacement may encroach into the coastal floodplain. The encroachments are anticipated to be minor, with no net changes to the base flood elevation. Project development will proceed in accordance with E.O. 11988 and will meet the terms and conditions of all applicable permits. Work within wetlands and waters of the U.S. is expected to meet the criteria necessary for a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Nationwide Permit.

The proposed project would comply with all applicable authorities including Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; Executive Order-11990 (Wetland Protection); Executive Order-11988 (Floodplain Management); Clean Air Act; Clean Water Act; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act; U.S. DOT Act Section 4(f); Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act; Endangered Species Act; Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Management Act; and Section 6(f) of the Land and Water Conservation Act.

Construction for the proposed project is anticipated to begin in Summer 2029. To ensure that all possible factors are considered, please provide written comments to the following address by February 8, 2026.

Brian Elliott, Regional Environmental Manager
DOT&PF Preliminary Design & Environmental
P.O. Box 196900
Anchorage, Alaska 99519-6900
Brian.Elliott@Alaska.gov

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Rori Van Nortwick, P.E., Project Manager, at 269-0587 or rori.vannortwick@alaska.gov.

The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by DOT&PF pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated April 13, 2023, and executed by FHWA and DOT&PF.

It is the policy of the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) that no person shall be excluded from participation in, or be denied benefits of any and all programs or activities we provide based on race, religion, color, gender, age, marital status, ability, or national origin, regardless of the funding source including Federal Transit Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Highway Administration and State of Alaska Funds. 

The DOT&PF complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Individuals with a hearing impairment can contact DOT&PF at our Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (907) 269-0473.