Trapper Creek Council asks for separate bike path

The Trapper Creek Community Council has turned down the idea of widening the Petersville Road in favor of a more complex plan that would create a separate bicycle and pedestrian path.

Christine Huber and Steve Jochens  from the Alaska DOT presented bike path proposals at the regular monthly meeting of the Trapper Creek Community Council.  Twenty residents were on hand to listen to the alternatives.  The two project managers may have been a bit surprised by the unanimous sentiment to scrap the first alternative, which would mean simply widening the current Petersville Road, and go for the second more complex idea.

Huber presented a history of the Trapper Creek pedestrian path, noting the project has been on the books since 1995. Since the National Park Service and other agencies decided on the Parks Highway location for south side development, anticipated tourist-related traffic is no longer expected along Petersville Road.  However, the bike path plan was recently sent back to the scoping stage for re-evaluation. A number of concerns were expressed about alternative A, the road-widening project.

The second and third alternatives would leave the existing road as is and add a paved pathway to either the south or north side of the road, similar to the one that exists on the Talkeetna Spur Road. 

Residents and council board members made it clear they were in favor of the separate pathway alternative.  They also objected to the current plan based on a 3-mile-long path.  Councilman Shawn Stankowitz requested an alternative to explore a 7-mile path to Moose Creek Bridge, which drew much approval from the crowd. 

Huber and Jochens agreed to do research and eliminate alternative A.  An informational open house will be held before the August 20^th council meeting.  They stated the process will be long and the pathway will not be constructed for at least 2 more years AND only if funding becomes available. 

Thanks to Sondra Porter for this report.