ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is home to the three most dangerous highway sections in Alaska, state transportation officials said.
Ten people died in vehicle accidents between 2001 and 2005 on Knik-Goose Bay Road, according to the Department of Public Safety.
In that time frame, there were eight fatalities on the seven-mile section of the Parks Highway from Church Road to a mile before Big Lake Road, and two on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.
Factors in the rankings included deaths, major accidents, traffic density and total vehicle miles traveled on the roads.
The Seward Highway, between Potter Marsh and Portage, came next on the "most dangerous" list, Department of Transportation traffic safety engineer Scott Thomas said.
The Seward Highway has been the subject of vivid media stories and emotional community discussions recently in the aftermath of several fatal accidents, but apparently it isn't the the most dangerous thoroughfare in the state.
"The Seward Highway is a seasonal highway" more than the three Mat-Su roadways, Thomas said. "These are all two-lane roads carrying more than 16,000 people."
Overcrowding, he said, is a primary factor in higher accident rates. Mat-Su is the fastest-growing area of the state.
Mat-Su legislators said the data shows more attention should be paid to accidents in the valley.
"We're fighting a (public relations) battle," said Rep. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak and vice chair of the House Finance Committee. Major news outlets, he said, have covered accidents on the Seward Highway extensively, while accidents in the Valley go unnoticed.
"Because it happens in the Valley, people have a harder time remembering our needs," Stoltze said.
Road improvements are on the way in Mat-Su, such as road widening and more stoplights and turn lanes.
DOT and the Alaska Railroad are working with the Mat-Su Borough and Wasilla to study a road and rail route around Wasilla, and legislators pledged to continue working to fund the Knik Arm bridge, which they said would route freight and through-traffic around congested areas.
State officials released the numbers at a hearing Saturday in Wasilla of the House and Senate transportation committees to discuss highway safety.
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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com
