Trapper Creek RSA weighs in on Chijuk Creek transporation plan

Trapper Creek’s road service area advisory board says more measures are needed before the proposed Chijuk Creek timber sale goes through.

The Mat-Su Borough Assembly approved the 15,000-acre timber lease earlier this year. In public hearings on the lease agreement, multiple Trapper Creek residents say they want to see the harvest go forward, but that there are safety concerns on area roads.

The Trapper Creek road board’s concerns center on Oilwell Road. The road branches off of Petersville Road, and is the only vehicle access to the timber sale site. In a letter dated from last week, the board outlines some of the changes it believes need to be made to the transportation plan.

For the entirety of Oilwell Road, the board wants speed limits reduced for trucks. In addition, board members want to see brush clearing along the route to improve visibility for both truck drivers and property owners on the road.

The road service area board says the ideal situation would see Oilwell Road brought up to borough standards, with wider driving surfaces and shoulders, but the reality is far from that. The letter lists at least eight places where the Trapper Creek RSA board wants to see the road widened.

The letter highlights an area near mile 11, where the road is only fifteen to sixteen feet wide, contains a sharp turn, and leaves no room for vehicles to yield should they meet a logging truck coming the other direction.

The comment period for the transportation plan ends this week, and borough documents say a decision on the plan will not be made before next Monday.