Construction Report: West Airport Way and access roads to see resurfacing

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Starting Tuesday, June 14, Airport Way West is expected to see some changes to accommodate its current needs.

The area has seen more activity in recent years, creating the need for this project.

Kaitlin Williams, Publications Specialist with the Alaska Department of Transportation, “What’s really driving the Airport Way West project is an increase in traffic, an increase in pedestrians. There are a lot more hotels in this area than there used to be, more flights.”

Airport Way will likely see single lane closures during the summer. “We are going to be resurfacing the road and he project’s going to start down at Wien Lake Road, which is actually the road that borders the pond leaving the airport, and it’ll stretch all the way to the Mitchell.”

Old Airport, Dale and Hoselton Roads will also see resurfacing.

While there may be some detours in the area, pedestrian and business access will remain throughout the project. “The goal is to keep traffic flowing with the least amount of impacts as possible,” Williams said.

Meanwhile, non-vehicle traffic will also see greater access in the area. “There’s just a lot more foot traffic, and we’re going to be able to connect all of these hotels with available pedestrian access to the airport. There will be a pedestrian crossway across Old Airport Way over by the airport so that people can safely get across the street and walk to their flights if they need to.”

Right now, Hoselton Road’s passage under the Mitchell Expressway doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for larger vehicles. “Tour buses are pretty high, and it’s kind of a tight squeeze and they’re not really getting through there very well if at all, so we’re going to be lowering the grade and creating some more clearance for the truck drivers, for the tour buses.”

Large trucks will also see more accommodation at Dale Road. “We’re going to have a wider turn off of Airport Way over into Dale, and that’s just going to be a lot easier for the truckers to get around when they’re getting fuel at the gas station there.”

The project is scheduled to last through the summer season.

Copyright 2022 KTVF. All rights reserved.