Construction Report: Geraghty Avenue adds a sidewalk, diverts the Midnight Sun Run

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Through the month of June, Geraghty Street will be closed from University Avenue to around Washington Drive.

This closure, which began Monday, June 6, is part of the ongoing larger University Avenue project.

According to Danielle Tessen, Public Information Officer with the Alaska Department of Transportation, “We have the road closed because we’re doing some deep utility work.”

Along with the work being done on the water lines, the street will also see sidewalks added from Washington Drive to University Avenue, a new feature in that stretch of road.

Because of this closure, the Midnight Sun Run, which traditionally routes through Geraghty, will be diverted down through Marlin Street.

All businesses in the area will remain accessible via Marlin, which runs parallel to Airport Way. “You can use Washington Drive to Marlin to access all the businesses, and then once construction is complete, we still encourage using that route,” Tessen said.

Meanwhile, an access road at the west end of Marlin is closed permanently. “When we worked on University Avenue and we widened the street, we had to take away a little bit from the Marlin Road that runs parallel to University Avenue,” explained Tessen.

The resulting road proved too narrow for two vehicles to travel safely. “We’ve also noticed that there is an increase of incidences that happen where as you come out and you’re trying to turn onto University Avenue, people are coming in to turn onto Geraghty. There’s a lot happening in that small amount of space really close to an intersection.”

For now, the future of the area is unclear. “We’re still kind of working with business owners and getting what that final look is going to be,” she said.

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