4th Avenue Signals and Lighting Upgrade: E Street to A Street
4th Avenue Signals and Lighting Upgrade: E Street to A Street
The Municipality of Anchorage has a long range plan to upgrade the lighting and traffic signal systems in downtown Anchorage to current standards and to reduce annual maintenance and operational costs. The work will include replacing electrical components that are corroded and have exceeded their useful life, identifying and correcting electrical code deficiencies, and installing energy efficient LED light fixtures. Bringing all the signals and lighting up to standards will take a number of years.
The 4th Avenue Signals and Lighting Upgrade, E Street to A Street, is the second of the upgrade projects. Improvements for this project will include:
- Removing and replacing the traffic signal systems at E, D, and C Streets
- Removing and replacing the traffic signal interconnect system from E Street to A Street
- Removing and replacing electrical load centers
- Removing and replacing deteriorated street and pedestrian lighting
- Removing and replacing sidewalk and curb ramps to meet current ADA criteria
- Removing and replacing the asphalt pavement
- Repairing or replacing culverts and other drainage improvements
- Replacing damaged roadway signs
Additional streetscape improvements being considered include:
- Upgrading the tree wells to promote healthy tree growth and survivability
- Widening the sidewalk between C Street and A Street to meet Title 21 requirements
- Providing curb ramps at B Street to improve north/south pedestrian mobility
In the Documents section at the bottom, you can click to dowload the concept level plans, incuding the streetscape concepts.
Project Area
Streetscape concepts being considered. This illustrates what is being considered between E Street and D Street. In the Docments section below, you can download the concept plans for the entire project corridor from E Street to A Street.
Project Status and Schedule
The concept level design for signal and lighting upgrades was completed in the spring of 2020, followed by completion of the concept level landscape plans this fall. The public involvement phase of the project is just getting started as we share these concept level plans with interested stakeholders. Final plans are anticipated to be completed late Summer/early Fall 2021, with construction shortly thereafter so that long lead material items can be ordered in 2021 and installed Summer 2022.
Project Background
The Downtown Signals and Lighting Upgrade project began with a Reconnaissance Study that was completed in August of 2018. The study involved inventorying and assessing the conditions of traffic signals and street lights located within the project area, which is the area bounded by 10th Avenue on the south, 1st Avenue on the north, L Street on the west, and Ingra Street on the east. Lighting systems were evaluated to determine if they met current standards. Deficiencies that were found included significant corrosion of pole base plates and anchor bolts (particularly along 4th Avenue), poor bonding/grounding, and electrical components that are too old to maintain or repair because replacement parts are unavailable. Moreover, the lighting levels failed to meet current standards in about half of the project area. To correct these deficiencies, the report recommended lighting and signalization improvements throughout the project area. (In the Documents section at the bottom, you can click to download photos of some of deficiencies that were found.)
The first upgrade project was 4th Avenue, A Street to Cordova Street which began in the summer of 2020. The traffic signals at A Street and Cordova Street were removed and replaced, and the street and pedestrian lighting were upgraded. Sidewalk and curb ramps were also replaced. While nearly complete, this project will be finished once the above ground traffic signal and light pole components arrive from the factory and are installed and operational.
Funding for the projects is coming from a variety of sources including federal highway funding and municipal bonds. DOT&PF is currently planning upgrades along 4th Avenue from Cordova Street to Ingra Street, using federal funds. MOA will continue upgrades, working westward along 4th Avenue. That work, as well as other future upgrade projects, will be implemented as funding allows.
The map below demonstrates the extent of conduit bonding/grounding and junction boxes that are in poor condition.
Contact Information
Joann Mitchell, PE
Public Involvement Coordinator
Kinney Engineering
(907) 344-7590
JoannMitchell@KinneyEng.com
OR
Julie Makela, PE
Project Administrator
Municipality of Anchorage
(907) 343-7598
julie.makela@anchorageak.gov