Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

Transportation X

Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities

CENTRAL REGION

Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP): 5th Avenue: Concrete Street to Karluk Street Pedestrian Improvements

Project No.: 0421102/CFHWY00856

DOT&PF > Central Region > Projects > 5th Avenue Pedestrian Safety Project

There is Still Time to Give Your Feedback!

Couldn’t make it to the March 25th in-person open house? Explore the meeting materials and provide your feedback online by following the link below.

March 2026 Open House & Feedback

5th Avenue Pedestrian Safety Project

Welcome to the website for the HSIP: 5th Ave: Concrete St. to Karluk St. Pedestrian Improvements, also known as the 5th Avenue Pedestrian Safety project (Project).

The Project aims to improve safety primarily by reducing the number of midblock pedestrian crashes.

Please check back regularly for Project updates!

Project Description

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), proposes to install a median barrier along 5th Avenue, between Concrete Street and Karluk Street in Anchorage. The primary goal of the Project is to improve pedestrian safety in a timely and cost-effective manner.

The Project is being developed and funded through the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), which specifically targets reducing and preventing fatalities and severe injury crashes on Alaska’s roadways.

Alternative Text:<br />
Aerial map showing a highlighted section of 5th Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska. The highlighted corridor runs east–west between Karluk Street on the left and Concrete Street on the right. Yellow and blue markings indicate the proposed roadway alignment and lanes. Landmarks labeled on the map include Lucky Wishbone near Karluk Street, Swickard Car Dealership along the south side of 5th Avenue, the Anchorage Correctional Complex to the north, and Merrill Field to the southeast. A north arrow is in the lower-right corner.

Why 5th Avenue? Why a median barrier?

Fifth Avenue has been identified as a top pedestrian fatality corridor in the state. Fifth Avenue between Concrete Street and the 5th/6th Avenue couplet experienced more than 80 crashes during a 2013–2016 collection of crash data, identifying this Project as a critical safety improvement. Pedestrian and bicycle crashes made up the majority of the serious and fatal injury crashes. According to FHWA data (Crash Data & Facts | FHWA), 75% of pedestrian fatalities in traffic happen at areas other than intersections, which is a key issue through this corridor.

Observations show that most pedestrians crossing within the Project area on 5th Avenue originate near Concrete Street or close to Karluk Street, near Lucky Wishbone, with the prime destination being the convenience store on the south side of the street. Accessible signalized crossing opportunities are available where pedestrians begin their trips, yet midblock crossings continue to occur within the corridor. The purpose of the median barrier is to discourage these unsafe crossings; this approach has proven effective in other states. A detailed study by the Maryland Department of Transportation seeking to quantify the impact and compare the effectiveness of different types of median treatments on pedestrian safety concluded that median treatments reduced all fatal crashes by more than 80%.

Project Status and Timeline

DOT&PF published a Notice of Intent to Begin Engineering and Environmental Studies in 2022, and a Categorical Exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act process was issued later that year.

The Project is now in the final design phase. Construction is anticipated to take place in 2027, pending funding availability, with the majority of work occurring within the existing road right-of-way.