The Fairview Business Association and the Fairview Community Council unveiled plans Wednesday to revitalize a major road in the Anchorage neighborhood, in the works for more than a year.
The plan the groups came up with would convert Gambell Street from four lanes into three. Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan commended the organizations' work Wednesday.
"It's the citizens of this community that take the lead and the initiative, and then with the cooperative work of the city -- and in this case, certainly the state and the Department of Transportation," Sullivan said. "We are enthusiastic and we've made some great things happen."
Paul Fuhs, the business association's director, says the removed lane will offer more space along Gambell for Fairview residents on foot.
"We want to make it three lanes with appropriate turn lanes at the intersections," Fuhs said. "What that allows us to do is widen the sidewalks, give an area for snow removal and snow storage, make it better for pedestrians."
Fuhs says the association worked with the Department of Transportation to come up with the design. After a two-week traffic count in the area, engineers said fewer lanes would not affect how traffic moves through Fairview.
"What they found is this could be done without degrading the efficiency in the level of service," Fuhs said.
DOT is currently reviewing the traffic data from the Gambell Street count.
Now that the Fairview groups have a plan, they will now work more closely with DOT, the Municipality of Anchorage and Municipal Light and Power to implement the proposed changes.
Contact Ashleigh Ebert