Caitlin Frye with Alaska DOT&PF recently shared this information with the club about the effects of bridge construction on Chena River travel this summer:
Our construction teams here at DOT&PF have put together a flyer with some information about what to expect when traveling on the Chena River through our bridge construction projects this summer. Please feel free to share this with anyone who you think would be interested.
One of the key points is that, although the river will be mostly open this summer, if people choose to travel on the river through these construction zones at the University Bridge and the Wendell Bridge, they will need to know how to control their boats. We’ll have lots of signs along the river and at the boat launches in town warning people about what to expect, but people should consider floating a different part of the river if they are inexperienced.
We will be reaching out to other groups and businesses in town in the coming weeks, but we would also absolutely support all of your spreading the word to your friends and family so they are aware of what to expect. This will definitely be a different year for river travel, but we are confident that the improvements we’re making this year will make for better river experiences in the future.
Flyer Content (Text)
What to Expect During Bridge Construction
Alaska DOT&PF is replacing the University Avenue Bridge and the Wendell Avenue Bridge in 2021. If you are inexperienced or want to have a relaxing river trip, we suggest you avoid these construction zones. If you do travel through them, here’s what to expect.
YOU’LL NEED TO KNOW HOW TO CONTROL YOUR BOAT
-The channel under the bridge will be narrow, water will be moving faster, and there could be hazards in the water.
–Construction zones will be “no wake zones” so motorized boats will need to slow down.
-Height clearance will be similar to the Peger Bridge.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE SIGNS
-You will see signs at the boat launches and along the river.
-River traffic traveling with the flow of the river will have the right-of-way under bridges, and opposing traffic will need to yield.
-Always wear a life jacket and never drink or use substances while navigating the river!
THE RIVER WILL STAY OPEN, EXCEPT FOR SHORT INTERMITTENT CLOSURES
-Starting in mid-May and through most of the summer, daytime river traffic will be stopped intermittently for roughly 20 minutes at a time.
-The short closures will happen when the construction crew is placing girders over the channel or removing structures.
-We will notify river users at nearby boat launches and with flaggers at the river when the closures are taking place.
Created by the Alaska Dept. of Transportation & Public Facilities, April 2021. More info: 907-451-5307
AHTNA has recently been asserting ownership of the area immediately downstream from the Windy bridge (the southernmost Parks Highway bridge over the Nenana River, a few miles north of Cantwell), which has been the traditional take-out for trips down the Reindeer Hills section of the Nenana River. Representatives of Ahtna are asking for $15 per vehicle to park in this area. As of 16 June 2013 no signs were present indicating property boundaries or any requirement for parking permits. There have also been anecdotes of Ahtna patrolling the river upstream from the bridge and asking anyone camped anywhere except Brushkasna Creek (which is State land) to pay a fee for the privilege of camping. Brad Snow and others have done preliminary research on this issue and discovered the following:
There are two state-controlled 300′ right-of-way (ROW) segments there, which converge at the Nenana River. They are measured 150′ on each side of the centerline of the new Park’s Hwy and the approximated centerline of the gravel road leading to the river, which is in the approximate center of the old ROW of the original Denali Highway. This leaves a sliver of land which comes to a point approximately 80′ from the river and extends west between the two ROWs. Except for this sliver, all land at this takeout is controlled by the state, which has no concern about boaters parking there. From studying both the DOT ROW maps and a Google Earth picture from 8/2004, it seems to me that, with all the “approximate” language above, the safest course would be to park directly to the right as you enter the open area by the river, just off the road’s travel grade, and either launch or pull out somewhere near where the centerline of that road would project to intersect with the river. Alternately, one can use the riverbank within 75′ of the river from the old ROW to the new highway ROW, where one can park, launch and retrieve as well without incurring either a fee or a valid trespass notice. (more…)
From the News-Miner:
The state is reviewing the idea of building a boat launch at Mile 147 of the Steese Highway at Birch Creek.
The proposed site is on the west bank of Birch Creek, downstream of the Steese Highway bridge over the creek. The eight-acre parcel was purchased by the state.
A DOT scoping document is available for download
