The state of Alaska is moving forward with a multi-year project to repave and improve the only road connecting the city of Kodiak to Benny Benson State Airport.
Earlier this month on Feb. 2, the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities started accepting bids for a multi-million-dollar project to resurface 4.7 miles of Rezanof Drive heading south of the Kodiak Marketplace, starting from the West Marine Way intersection.
Work includes drainage repairs, structural improvements as well as lighting and signals and is expected to wrap up by the end of next year on Nov. 30, 2027.
The department estimates the resurfacing will cost between $10 and $20 million, to be paid for by the federal government.
According to Sharon Clark, the superintendent of the Kodiak region for DOT, the project is separate from another Rezanof road project that is focused on ADA improvements, which is still in the design phase.
Bids are due by Feb. 24 at 2 p.m., while the start of the work is dependent on the successful bidder.
Also on Rezanof Drive, near Cope Street, the department launched an AI-pedestrian lighting pilot project last week on Feb. 6. According to a DOT press release, the new Kodiak crosswalk light is the first of its kind in Alaska and is part of the state’s test of pedestrian safety technology that could be used in other communities.
