Road closures, delays ahead as crews finish Seward Meridian project
Drivers should expect detours as final phase of road project begins.
- Final construction on Seward Meridian Parkway near Bogard Road will begin next month, bringing traffic delays and at least one full weekend closure before early July.
- The new road extension is expected to open by mid-summer, with final features like lighting and a bike path finished before school starts in mid-August.
- The $44 million project extends and widens the road to four lanes, improving traffic flow and safety along the corridor from the Parks Highway to Seldon Road.
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WASILLA — Drivers traveling through Seward Meridian Parkway and Bogard Road will see one final construction push this summer, with traffic slowdowns and at least one weekend road closure and detour as crews finish the major widening and extension project.
Work in the area is expected to kick off as soon as seasonal road weight restrictions are lifted and heavy equipment can get moving, a weather-dependent change that typically comes in mid-May, state transportation officials said.
The Bogard and Seward Meridian intersection will likely be fully closed for at least two weekends before early July, said Jonathan Tague, a state Department of Transportation project engineer overseeing the project.
The new Seward Meridian road extension will likely be open by mid-summer, he said. Final touches, such as light poles and the bike path, will likely be done by mid-August before school starts, he said.
When complete, the $44 million federally funded project will align traffic traveling north on Seward Meridian Parkway with a new section of roadway connecting Bogard with Seldon Road while also giving the thoroughfare a full four lanes all the way from the Palmer-Wasilla Highway to Seldon.
Making that change means shifting and curving traffic flow slightly east of where it currently connects to Bogard, Tague said. Crews will also fully restore and repave the Bogard and Seward Meridian intersection and add new, permanent traffic signals on poles rather than wires strung over the roadway, he said.
“It is going to be fairly disruptive to traffic,” Tague said in an interview early this month.
Scheduled closures, delays or detours will be shared beforehand through social media and advertising, he said.
Tague and state transportation officials designed the multiyear project to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety along the corridor.
The effort widened and resurfaced the deeply rutted two-lane road to four smooth lanes, installed a series of medians to create right-in, right-out-only intersections, added signals to improve traffic flow, installed a parking lot for Cottonwood Creek access, and created a miles-long pedestrian path that, when finished, will extend from Seldon to Walmart just south of the Parks Highway.
– Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com