News

Dept. of Transportation plans to make main route in Kodiak more ADA accessible

KMXT | By Davis Hovey

Published April 24, 2024 at 8:30 AM AKDT

The almost two-mile section of Rezanof Drive that is the focus of DOT's ADA improvements project in Kodiak.

The Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) is planning a major overhaul of an approximately 1.9 mile section of Rezanof Drive within Kodiak city limits. DOT has funds from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to improve sidewalks, curb ramps and street crosswalks, among other things.

Last week on Tuesday, April 16, officials from the department and the consulting firm tapped for the project, R&M Consultants Inc. held a public meeting at Kodiak East Elementary School. That’s located near the end of the planned construction off of Benny Benson Drive. DOT is proposing improving retaining walls, addressing overgrown vegetation and adding in more crosswalks to a section of Rezanof Drive, between Marine Way and Benny Benson Drive.

During the agencies’ visit, they put enlarged maps of different sections of Rezanof Drive on a table and let Kodiak residents write their ideas on sticky notes for each property or area along the almost two-mile stretch. Kodiak Island Borough Manager, Aimee Williams, was one of those participants.

“So we got to list all kinds of ideas for not only the subject area but beyond the subject area. Including lighting for schools and crosswalks on roads that weren’t even DOT’s; they just let us draw all over the place. So that was great,” Williams said.

DOT's public meeting involved enlarged maps and sticky notes for Kodiak residents to interact with.

The current project design is halfway completed, already reaching the 50% design phase. So far, DOT plans to add a crosswalk at the main Y-intersection on Rezanof Drive, downtown. Potentially a flashing beacon and two separate crosswalks connecting one side of Lower Mill Bay Road to the other side of Rezanof Drive, could also be added. That same intersection, between Rezanof Drive, Center Street and Lower Mill Bay Road was updated in the late 2000s to reduce further pedestrian injuries and fatalities. Currently, only a few official striped crosswalks exist along the roughly two-mile section of Rezanof Drive in question.

Jason Osborn, the consultant project manager with R&M Consultants, told KMXT this project is mainly focused on expanding pedestrian access, and it will not necessarily prioritize bicycle lanes and more access for cyclists.

Jason Osburn is the Consultant Project Manager for the DOT's ADA Improvements project on Rezanof Drive in Kodiak.

Public comments on the Rezanof Drive ADA improvements can be submitted online by visiting the DOT project’s website. The first phase of construction is expected to begin in 2026 and then continue into 2027.