Alaska Department of Transportation

After a public petition and borough assembly resolution, the Department of Transportation says it will scale back the use of salt brine on peninsula roads this winter.

Department of Transportation officials talked the Sterling safety corridor, Kenai Spur, Cooper Landing Bypass and more in a legislative town hall Thursday.

A petition with more than 4,000 signatures is calling on DOT to stop its use of salt brine on Kenai Peninsula roads. They say the brine is corrosive to vehicles and dangerous, but DOT officials say they're not considering removing the substance from roads entirely.

Mike Arnold started a petition in March, asking the state Department of Transportation to reconsider its use of salt brine on the Kenai Peninsula. Auto workers say the brine can be corrosive and cause vehicle damage.

The Alaska Department of Transportation says it will have to seek outside funding sources to make up for dramatically increased cost estimates for the bypass project.

The Cooper Landing Bypass project manager says a lack of full funding in this year’s legislative budget could mean delays in the major highway project.

The Cooper Landing Bypass project manager says a lack of full funding in this year’s legislative budget could mean delays in the major highway project.

The road — the only way in or out for residents — closed Friday night and reopened Sunday morning. DOT crews worked through the weekend to repair the road.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough and the borough's five cities are collectively putting up $240,000 to match the "Safe Streets and Roads For All" federal grant.

The 50-year old bridge in Kasilof is highly trafficked, and the Alaska Department of Transportation is planning an engineering study of the bridge to see if it needs to be upgraded, or replaced. The borough assembly recently passed a resolution to support that study.