The Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm is a contradiction. It's both scenic and swift. And that's trouble.
People drive the highway at different speeds. Some are touring and watching for wildlife. Others are moving fast to their favorite Russian River fishing spot, or fast back to work after catching their reds.
And in the stretch between Mile 104.5 and Mile 100, people are trying to leave the highway to visit local businesses or just go home.
That's why the Turnagain Community Council wants the state to lower the speed limit in the stretch from Indian to Bird from 55 mph to 45 mph.
State Department of Transportation officials say cutting speed limits won't work on roads built for 60.
Slapping several 45 mph signs up and having the troopers lay down the law every once in a while isn't going to do much to stop dangerous passing and dicey turns off the road.
Yes, slower speeds will help. But there are better ways to slow traffic down.
Alternatives -- a rumble strip in the median, road rehab, turning pockets and some overhead signs with blinking yellow lights and warnings of frequent turns should come first.
Design can do a lot to slow drivers. Those blinking lights and turn warnings will let reasonable drivers know that they're not cruising the great wide open, but driving through a more congested area that attracts business off the highway and serves as home to 300 people. Hence they need to be more cautious in driving this stretch.
A vastly more expensive alternative -- a frontage road along the north (mountain) side of the highway to serve homes and businesses -- has less support among residents and business owners. The split would improve safety, but also would cut commerce and could leave business owners with less usable property.
Solutions aren't exclusive of one another. While DOT planners argue that effective speed limits don't require constant enforcement, some clearly and widely announced doses of tough enforcement are good ideas. Double fines will sting offenders where it hurts, and trooper presence tends to make people ease off on the accelerator.
Cutting the speed limit isn't out of the question, either. If signs and turning pockets work to slow most drivers, a 45 mph limit might follow as official confirmation of what smart design has accomplished.
Otherwise you hope for 45 and keep the troopers busy.
There is no perfect safety solution for the Seward Highway, and the Indian-Bird stretch is not the only dangerous section. But the residents there deserve some relief. It's just a question of the best way to slow drivers down and focus their attention.
BOTTOM LINE: Signs and design may do more than changing the speed limit to slow dangerous traffic.