The City of Kenai is on track to get permission to improve what’s long been dubbed the city’s worst road.
Kenai City Council members last Wednesday agreed to spend $200,000 on access to Wildwood Drive’s underlying right-of-way from the Kenai Native Association. The move comes after years of disagreements over who should be responsible for upkeep.
Wildwood Drive is in city limits and touches multiple residential driveways, so the city has handled road maintenance historically. But it’s also the prime access point for Wildwood Correctional Complex, a state facility. The city estimates state vehicles account for 80% the traffic, contributing wear and tear. The underlying land is held by the Kenai Native Association, which has barred major renovations in the past.
Terry Eubank told council members that finding a path forward has been an uphill battle. But he says the agreement would be a step in the right direction. He says the city has met with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, to explore opportunities for collaboration on the road work.
“We're just trying to, here at the city, remove any of the hurdles that we can,” he said. “One of the significant hurdles in this case is we can't do anything, and DOT especially is not willing to do anything, until we secure the right-of-way of the roadway.”
That’s why Kenai is trying to secure the right-of-way.
Repairing Wildwood Drive is the city’s top capital priority. About $1.48 million worth of improvements to the road are described in Kenai’s capital improvement plan. The city has already set aside about $200,000, but the other million-plus dollars hasn’t been secured.
That’s where the city hopes to work with the state to find funding. The state transportation department already has a busy construction season planned in Kenai next summer. Crews will widen and add lighting to the Kenai Spur Highway to complete the second half of safety improvements.
As of Friday, Eubank said the Kenai Native Association hadn’t yet signed off on the city’s acquisition. But he told council members he’s optimistic it will be approved.
“We confirmed that agreement again before this legislation was brought before you,” he said. “So I'm very confident that they're willing to accept and we have an agreement.”
The scope of work planned for Wildwood Drive may depend on how it’s paid for. While the city initially envisioned an extensive reconstruction of the traffic corridor, Eubank said potential grants could more narrowly focus on repaving what’s already there. That would include tearing up the existing 50-plus-year-old asphalt, laying down a new road and adding drainage to prevent water from pooling on the surface.
