South Nordic road construction delayed

The South Nordic Drive construction project that had been planned to kick off this fall likely won’t begin until spring 2015.

Alaska Department of Transportation (ADOT) project manager Keith Karpstein said the delay came after securing nearly 100 required right of way easements from property owners along the affected roadway.

“If there’s an impact to the adjacent property owners we have to work with them to get the necessary rights to work on the property even on a temporary basis,” Karpstein said. “Most of these impacts were temporary. Along Nordic Drive it was nearly every parcel. There were a lot of those to get through. It took longer than we anticipated, but we’re almost there and hoping to get the project certified.”

Karpstein expects to review bids by mid-August. The estimated $4 million to complete the project will come from the Federal Highway Administration. The Petersburg Borough has also funded other portions of the project that will repair existing sewer lines.

“We’re real close to getting the project certified and getting our construction funding in place,” Karpstein said. “I’m pretty confident that in about a month we’ll be able to advertise the project.”

The construction is planned on South Nordic from Haugen Drive to the ferry terminal.

Construction will include improvements on pavement, sidewalks, curbs and gutter along the stretch of road.

The construction will also level out the current steep slopes of driveways to comply with Americans With Disability Act standards.

Construction along Haugen Drive is also planned for next year.