The Alaska Department of Transportation and 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 proposed project that would rehabilitate Chugach Way from Spenard Road to Arctic Boulevard in Anchorage, Alaska. The purpose of the proposed project is to improve safety, extend the service life of Chugach Way, and address deteriorating pavement conditions and aging infrastructure. The project will also evaluate opportunities to incorporate pedestrian facilities, improve drainage where limited infrastructure exists, and address minor operational concerns.

The proposed work may include:

• Grading and paving
• Improvements to pedestrian facilities, including sidewalks/pathways, bike lanes, and ADA improvements
• Right-of-way (ROW) acquisitions of partial and/or full parcels
• Drainage improvements (i.e. ditches, culverts, storm drains, vegetative swales, etc.)
• Intersection improvements
• Structural section repairs and replacement, as needed
• Replacement and/or installation of signs, roadside hardware, striping, and signals
• Geotechnical investigations, as needed
• Relocating and/or adjusting utilities (including lighting)
• Vegetation clearing and grubbing

The proposed project may encroach into the unmapped base (100-year) floodplain associated with Fish Creek (FEMA FIRM Panels 0200050741D and 0200050742D). Project activities that may impact the unmapped base floodplain include culvert replacement, placing of new fill for constructing pedestrian facilities, replacing and/or installing roadside hardware, relocating utilities, and vegetation clearing and grubbing. Replacement of the culvert conveying Fish Creek would be a functionally dependent use of the floodplain. No longitudinal encroachments, significant encroachments or net changes to the base flood elevation are anticipated.

This proposed project will comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; Executive Orders: 11990 (Wetlands Protection), 11988 (Floodplain Protection), the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and U.S. DOT Act Section 4(f).

Construction for the proposed project is anticipated to begin in Summer 2030. To ensure that all possible factors are considered, please provide written comments to the following address by July 31, 2026. 

Heidi Zimmer, Regional Environmental Manager
DOT&PF Preliminary Design & Environmental
P.O. Box 196900
Anchorage, Alaska 99519-6900
heidi.zimmer@alaska.gov

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Ryan Harris, Project Manager, at (907)269-0568 or ryan.harris@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 and Public Facilities DOT&PF that no one shall be subject to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability, regardless of the funding source, including Federal Transit Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety 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.