Weekslong closure at Trunk Road intersection set to begin soon
The new roundabout project will completely shut down the Trunk and Palmer-Fishhook intersection for up to 18 days, officials said.
What you need to know:
- The intersection at Trunk and Palmer-Fishhook roads will close completely for up to 18 days next month as crews install a new roundabout.
- Drivers headed north of the closure will use a temporary two-lane access road built in front of the Valley Country Store gas station. Drivers traveling south of the closure will face significant detours and will need to use the Glenn Highway through Palmer for access during the shutdown.
- The new roundabout is intended to improve traffic flow and reduce crashes at the intersection.
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PALMER — A new roundabout project that will close a major intersection near Palmer for weeks this summer and cause miles-long delays for some residents will likely begin next month, state transportation officials said.
The project will completely close the intersection of Trunk and Palmer-Fishhook roads. When complete, traffic in the area will cycle through a newly installed single-lane roundabout rather than stopping some traffic at a single stop sign on Trunk Road.
The intersection will be closed to all traffic for up to 18 days, with work targeted for mid- to late June, state transportation department officials said Tuesday.
Just when the closure starts depends on when seasonal road weight restrictions are lifted, they said. Specific timing plans will be announced online and on a series of electronic boards on roadways near the project, they said.
The closures will create major detours for some travelers, officials said.
Drivers headed to areas south of the project area on Palmer-Fishhook Road between the Glenn Highway and the Trunk intersection must travel through Palmer and use the Glenn Highway for access, said Justin Shelby, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
Drivers heading north of the intersection will face a much smaller detour. Rather than rerouting drivers east through Wasilla, crews will build a paved, temporary two-lane access road for traffic traveling through the north side of the project, Shelby said. The lanes will cut through property in front of the Valley Country Store gas station just outside the construction zone, he said.
The project will be completed this summer, with most of the work done during the closures, Shelby said.
A roughly 6-foot berm installed at the intersection last year was removed earlier this month in preparation for the upcoming work. Officials said the berm was used to compress the soil so it would not sink after the roundabout is installed.
The $5.65 million project is intended to improve traffic flow and safety in the area. The intersection, which is often icy in winter, is the site of frequent crashes, with more than three times the statewide average for similar intersections, according to the project website. Traffic also frequently backs up south on Trunk Road as vehicles wait to turn right or left onto Palmer-Fishhook Road.
An average of 6,300 drivers pass through the intersection daily, according to 2024 state traffic data.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com