The State of Alaska has provided a grant to improve Toilsome Hill Drive, Glen Alps Road and Canyon Road. The purpose of this project is to develop long-term improvement plans and alternatives for all three roads, which are part of the expanding Hillside road network and provide access to the widely used Chugach State Park trail system.
The reconnaissance phase of this project has begun. This initial phase includes surveying, mapping, and preliminary engineering; as well as public outreach to help us understand right-of-way ownership, maintenance requirements, drainage deficiencies and other issues. Two reconnaissance reports will be produced during this phase — one for Toilsome Hill Drive and Glen Alps Road, and another for Canyon Road.
This Web site provides information to help you better understand the study, and an opportunity to send us your comments. Please check back for project updates, and notice of public meetings.
What is a reconnaissance study and why is one needed on this project?
Simply put, a reconnaissance study is an exploration of an area to gain information. The project area presents considerable design challenges, including difficult terrain, right-ofway ownership, maintenance, drainage and other problems. The reconnaissance study will provide the Municipality of Anchorage with recommendations that address current needs along the project corridor, prioritize solutions and establish long-range planning goals.
Who initiated the study, and how was it funded?
The State of Alaska provided a $2.5 million grant for improvements to the three roads. The state used $600,000 of these funds to improve the Glen Alps trailhead parking lot. The Municipality of Anchorage will use $600,000 from the grant to pay for this study.
Will there be grant money left to repair the roads?
We do not know at this time. Monies from the grant have been used to pave the Glen Alps parking lot. Additional monies are being used for the reconnaissance study. At present, $1.3 million of the grant money remains.
When will the study be completed?
The consultant contract specifies a December 31, 2009, completion date. What are we trying to do on Toilsome Hill Drive/Glen Alps Road? Most will say the priority is to pave the unpaved part of Glen Alps Road, fix drainage problems, and resolve right-of-way ownership issues. Other issues and unmet needs may be identified during the reconnaissance study and its accompanying public outreach. The users and residents may have other suggestions.
What are we trying to do on Canyon Road?
Similar to Toilsome/Glen Alps, it may be desirable to pave the unpaved parts of Canyon Road, fix drainage problems and resolve right-of-way ownership issues. Canyon Road winds through private property and Chugach State Park land, so resolving right-of-way issues may be important for long-term planning in the area. Other issues and unmet needs may be identified during the reconnaissance study and its accompanying public outreach. The users and residents may have other suggestions.
What can property owners do to help define the problems and the solutions?
At this time, the project team would like to receive feedback from the local property
owners, Glen Alps Rural Road Service Area, road users and others on what they feel
would address the area’s long-term needs. There are many ways to provide this input. See
below.
How does it benefit everyone to resolve right of way issues now?
The longer we delay solving right of way issues, the more complex the solutions become. For example, it is easier to come to an agreement on right of way with one or two original property owners than with numerous heirs to that property. Resolving right of way now serves present users of the road, and smoothes the way for future improvement efforts.
What is the process for establishing right of way?
There are several ways to establish right of way for the project.
Outright purchase - Purchase of land from the property owner at fair market value. The fee purchase of right of way (where a road bifurcates property) necessitates a plat to subdivide the land into two parcels. This is a very expensive option that is not typically sought by the municipality.
Public use easement - The municipality secures a public use easement for the road. The easement may be purchased, or property owners may choose to grant the easement at no cost. The property owner retains rights of use, as long as the owner doesn’t interfere with the municipality’s use. A plat is not required for this type of acquisition. Instead, a Record of Survey is filed in the form of a right of way map depicting the easements required and the type of use.
Eminent domain - This allows for the purchase of property from an unwilling property owner for public use. Eminent domain is only an option after documented good-faith negotiations have failed. It is a challenging way to establish right of way and requires a legal process established by State law.
Relocate the road - The road could be relocated to other property to establish a public right of way. This may be accomplished through outright purchase as mentioned above, relocating the road onto public lands, or by property owner-granted public use easements.
What problems are created if there is no right of way?
Lack of right of way can create problems related to road maintenance and emergency services, as well as restrict access to residences and parkland.
Road maintenance can be more difficult. For example, say a culvert is washed out. The road service area asks its contractor to replace it to reopen the road. The owner doesn’t want the contractor to disturb additional property when replacing the culvert, and a conflict ensues. In another example, the property owner or owners want the road to remain narrow and provide only local, residential access. Without the property owner’s permission, the city or road service area is unable to provide maintenance.
Emergency service access becomes less reliable. Typically, police and fire departments respond to areas where the road is passable. Emergency services personnel cannot respond if a road is blocked by parked vehicles, too narrow for the response vehicle to navigate, etc.
In some instances, people have been unwilling to give the municipality access to maintain the roads. This puts the municipality over a barrel - needing to provide maintenance, but unable to do so.
Sometimes the road service area contractor goes further than they should while maintaining the road, or the contractor doesn’t go far enough to suit some users. This situation can generate a round robin of complaints that are difficult to resolve.
If the project wants to acquire rights of way, how much property would be needed?
We don’t have a clear answer to this question at this time. For a typical residential collector roadway, the right-of-way width is 80-feet1. In the Hillside region, this becomes a challenge because of the terrain. Right-of-way width will depend on the topography, location, drainage and access considerations. We want to discuss this in detail with area residents, property owners and road users during this reconnaissance study. In the end, the study may recommend a different type of facility. For example, the study may recommend a country lane with passing pullouts and designated public parking areas on public lands.
What challenges do you envision in completing the reconnaissance study?
Many residents want the road to provide local access only. They want the road maintained to the minimum level absolutely necessary to get to their property. They are not interested in additional impediments on their road. They don’t want the road to provide access to parkland for the general public. They don’t want people parking along the road. Without public rights of way, if the private owner wants to blockade the road, he is within his rights to do so. The reconnaissance study will work to identify solutions.
Why aren’t parts of Glen Alps and Canyon Road built within public right of way?
Few public records exist to answer this question. The anecdotal explanation is that, in the early 1960s, Donald Rohaley started building Upper DeArmoun to reach his homestead on what is now Canyon Road. Although there was no official easement, Rohaley let homesteaders who built east of him use the road to get to their property and over time the road was extended. As some homesteaders failed to prove up on their parcels, their land became part of Chugach State Park. As a result, Canyon Road winds through both private and parkland in several areas and there is no designated right of way.
How will you secure right of way on Canyon Road, Toilsome Hill Drive and Glen
Alps Road?
At this time, we do not know. See “What is the process for establishing right of way for the project?” above for a summary of options available to the municipality.
Who pays to maintain Toilsome Hill Drive, Glen Alps Road and Canyon Road?
Residents within the Glen Alps Rural Road Service Area pay to maintain these roads through a property tax assessment.
Why doesn’t the Municipality of Anchorage pay to maintain these roads?
The municipality only funds maintenance on roads within the Anchorage Roads and Drainage Service Area (ARDSA).
Why don’t these roads become ARDSA roads?
Roads must have dedicated right of way to become part of the ARDSA network, and be voted into the network by the public. Goldenview Drive is a good example of this process. Right of way was acquired and a public vote held, and its maintenance is now funded through ARDSA. Another example is Eagle River Road. After right of way was acquired, ARDSA funded capital improvements.
Why doesn’t Chugach State Park or its users help pay to maintain roads leading to
trailheads in the area?
The Department of Natural Resources pays for maintenance and upgrades on roads within the park and roads that it owns outside the park. For instance, the state owns the right of way on nearby Sultana Drive. Property owners along Sultana have paid for winter maintenance in past years, but Chugach State Park has agreed to pay for snow removal and sanding this winter in order to maintain the road to park standards. Funds for maintenance on Sultana could not be made available if the state didn’t own the right of way.
Does Chugach State Park have any plans to improve the roads leading to its
trailheads in the area at this date?
DNR is planning an upgrade to Sultana Drive just off Ginami St. near the project area. However, according to park superintendent Tom Harrison, the park is not keen on dedicating resources to improve access to the trailhead on Canyon Road until right of way issues are resolved.
Are there other things happening in the area besides the reconnaissance study?
Chugach State Park is in the early stages of revising its master plan for the park. This document would outline any planned improvements to the park and its trailheads. The first phase of the planning process ended in June, 2008, with the end of the public scoping comment period. A public review draft of the master plan is expected in 2010. The access plan and trail plan, which will be available in summer 2009, will inform the master plan. Visit dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chugach/planning.htm for more information.
Also, the municipality released the public review draft of its Hillside District Plan for future Hillside growth in October, 2008. It addresses a proposed system of trails and roadway connections. The public hearing draft of this plan is slated to be released in February. You can view the plan at www.hillsidedistrictplan.com.
Money was appropriated to build a caretakers cabin at Glen Alps trailhead, but it
has not been built. What is the timeline for this?
A contract has been awarded to build the caretakers cabin. Work will start in May or
June, 2009. The completion date is Sept. 31, 2009.
1 - Municipality of Anchorage, Official Streets and Highways Plan, October 2005, pp12
Why don’t these roads become ARDSA roads?
