Underpass to link Susitna Jr/Sr high to east side of Parks Highway

A pedestrian underpass connecting Su Valley High School with the east side of the Parks Highway is in the works. Department of Transportation officials presented preliminary designs for the new route to the Susitna Community Council on Thursday night.
Jim Amundsen from DOT showed a conceptual rendering of the underpass, which would be a 10-foot wide asphalt trail that drops down 10 feet below the highway, connecting the two s ides with a lighted tunnel. The trail would extend north to the Talkeetna Spur Road along the east side of the highway, linking the Spur Road path to the underpass with crosswalks.

Surveying will begin in the next month or so, Amundesen told the council. The DOT still has to acquire the property from the Mat Su Borough and the Upper Susitna Senior Center, and if everything goes according to schedule, construction could start in the Summer of 2015.

At the presentation, one council member noted that the ATV and Snowmachine trail on the east side of the parks highway sees heavy use, and would likely be impacted by the new path.