Alaska DOT interesting contract advertisements

[J N Winkler]

This is Alaska DOT's procurement Web noticeboard, with links to plans, specifications, and supporting materials for all projects currently out to bid:

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/apps/contracts?ACTION=BIDCAL&REGION_CODE=ALL

At the moment Alaska DOT has advertised reconstruction of the New Seward Highway (a full freeway) between Dowling and Tudor Roads in Anchorage.  Sign layout sheets are in the plan set but the sign panel detail sheets (24 pages' worth) are in the specification book.

[Stephane Dumas]

I checked some other projects, the Highway-to-highway (Glenn-Seward link) is put in the freeze. http://www.highway2highway.com/

There some other projects to come like the upgrade of Glenn highway from Parks interchange to Old Glenn highway http://www.brooks-alaska.com/glennhighway/

Some others seems to be still in the pipeline like the Gravina access and there a technical memorandum about the Southern mid-region access plan
http://dot.alaska.gov/sereg/projects/mid_region/assets/SE_AK_Mid-Reg_Technical_Memorandums.pdf

[J N Winkler]

A sign rehabilitation contract covering the entire length of the Glenn Highway from downtown Anchorage to Glennallen (a distance of 180 miles) has been advertised, under contract number 52334.  URL for downloading the plans is as given in the first post.

As is usual for Alaska DOT, sign layout sheets are in the plans set while sign panel detail sheets are in the specifications book.  There are over 170 sign panel detail sheets in the latter.

[Alps]

Hoping to see Interstate shields, hoping, hoping, darn.

[Quillz]

Hoping to see Interstate shields, hoping, hoping, darn.

They would be A1, A2, etc?

I do wonder why, if Alaska does have federally funded Interstate stretches, they would choose to not sign them as such. It's not like Alaska had existing US Routes to worry about, nor do they even have that many numbered highways in the first place.

[oscar]

Hoping to see Interstate shields, hoping, hoping, darn.

They would be A1, A2, etc?

I do wonder why, if Alaska does have federally funded Interstate stretches, they would choose to not sign them as such. It's not like Alaska had existing US Routes to worry about, nor do they even have that many numbered highways in the first place.

Most of the Alaska Interstate system isn't even close to Interstate standards, though about 50 miles of freeway (parts of A-1 between Anchorage and Palmer, A-3 in Anchorage, and A-4 east of Wasilla) meet or come close to standard.  Also, the Interstate numbers don't synch with the existing state route numbers, with Interstate A-4 following AK 3, and Interstate A-3 following part of AK 1 south of downtown Anchorage.  Posting the Interstate route numbers would just confuse people (mainly tourists, since locals ignore route numbers).

Alaska got its Interstate mileage in 1980 as a ploy to get more Federal funding, at ratios even more ridiculously favorable than what Alaska was already getting.  It was all about money, not about getting Interstate shields erected in Alaska.