For better or worse, Spenard Road is arguably the most famous thoroughfare in Anchorage. Its length is lined with stores and restaurants of every variety, most of which are locally owned.
For more than a decade, there has been an effort to further revitalize the area with a reconstruction project. Now the municipality and some community members are making their biggest push yet to make the proposal a reality.
Last week, residents in the Spenard area received a pamphlet outlining the plans for the project. It would add bike lanes and widen sidewalks while decreasing the number of lanes for cars in parts of the road.
“Safety is the key. And a four-foot sidewalk with snow and ice piled on it just isn’t safe,” said Mark Butler, a member of the North Star Community Council and longtime Spenard neighborhood activist.
He said the project has gained momentum in recent months.
“The overwhelming number of businesses are in favor of it,” Butler said. “But even those that are in favor want a good construction project.”
Some are concerned the project will replicate the reconstruction of Arctic Boulevard, which took longer than planned to complete and, according to some, made certain intersections more congested during rush hour than they were before the project.
“Arctic was a real bad example of how government can really make a mess out of a project,” said Baxter Gamble, who owns The Printer Store at Fireweed Lane and Spenard Road.
Gamble said the small businesses that line Spenard Road are vulnerable and the risk of decreasing access during construction is too great for the project to move forward.
“We don’t want people getting hurt, we want it accessible, we want it clean and neat and that sort of thing,” Gamble said. “But if it makes it too difficult for people to come here, they’ll just go some place else.”
The project proponents said the municipality learned from its mistakes while rebuilding Arctic Boulevard.
“The city has taken those lessons and made sure they don’t replicate the worst of Arctic here,” Butler said.
The project is estimated to cost $14 million. To move forward, it would have to be approved by voters as a road bond on the April 5, 2016 ballot. If passed, planning for the reconstruction will take place in 2016 and construction is slated for the summer of 2017.
Friday, February 17 2017 12:06 PM EST2017-02-17 17:06:28 GMT
Thursday, June 21 2018 4:03 PM EDT2018-06-21 20:03:55 GMT
You’re my friends now. We’re having soft tacos later. Yeah but I don’t know how to make myself go there. Maybe it might never happen again. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Put a little fence around it! Ralph Waldo Pickle Chips! I don’t know him.Pony Lords, jump for you
PersonalityCatbug may be about 10 years old, and has a very sweet and childlike personality. Catbug's personality also makes him seem simpler and more carefree, like in the episode "Gas-Powered Stick," where he was seen talking to a spider, and in the ep
PersonalityCatbug may be about 10 years old, and has a very sweet and childlike personality. Catbug's personality also makes him seem simpler and more carefree, like in the episode "Gas-Powered Stick," where he was seen talking to a spider, and in the ep
Thursday, February 23 2017 9:17 PM EST2017-02-24 02:17:22 GMT
Thursday, March 16 2017 1:27 PM EDT2017-03-16 17:27:38 GMT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21Alive) - A woman was trapped early Friday morning in her home after her bedroom ceiling collapsed on her while she was in bed. Fort Wayne fire crews and paramedics rushed to the sceneMore>>
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21Alive) - A woman was trapped early Friday morning in her home after her bedroom ceiling collapsed on her while she was in bed. Fort Wayne fire crews and paramedics rushed to the sceneMore>>
Monday, August 27 2018 5:26 PM EDT2018-08-27 21:26:00 GMT
Tuesday, May 5 2020 10:40 AM EDT2020-05-05 14:40:00 GMT
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel efficitur diam, ut tempus lorem. In laoreet velit eget magna malesuada, sit amet mollis diam pretium. Suspendisse vulputate erat et maximus commodo. Proin ullamcorper, neque quis commodo vMore>>
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel efficitur diam, ut tempus lorem. In laoreet velit eget magna malesuada, sit amet mollis diam pretium. Suspendisse vulputate erat et maximus commodo. Proin ullamcorper, neque quis commodo vMore>>