Steadman Street to get improvements this summer

Nome’s Steadman Street is up for s major rehabilitation as the Dept. of Transportation makes plans to bring the sidewalks up to Americans with Disabilities Act design standards. Existing pedestrian walkways have settled and are currently not up to standard. Because the material underlying the sidewalks and the roadway have been a part of the settlement problem, engineers will address drainage and underlying embankment issues so as to ensure the longevity of the new sidewalks.

To bring the walkways up to ADA standards sidewalks, curb ramps, approaches, curbs and gutters will get full reconstruction. There will be excavations of up to four feet and replacement of original material so there will be less settling in the future. The street itself will be graded and new asphalt pavement will be installed from Front Street through the intersection of 5th Avenue. Road surface will be at the same elevation as what it is replacing. Surface drainage will be improved to facilitate flow to the new gutters and to the existing storm water drainage system.

Temporary right-of-way acquisition will be necessary for the construction but the current footprint of the road and sidewalks will be the same after the renovation as it is now.

“I just maintain it,” said the DOT’s Calvin Schaeffer when asked about his role in it. “But I’m involved in the design process because we’re the ones who’ll fix it.”

Not only the DOT will be at work. Nome Joint Utility System may be replacing sections of water and sewer lines at the intersection of Steadman and King Place either before or during the DOT’s project.

At this time the project team in

Fairbanks is completing the environmental document. It will be necessary to contact several property owners about ensuring enough rightof-way to do the construction work. Also, there are areas where private property improvements may be within the public right-of-way and those conflicts will be resolved. The one-season project is planned to begin in summer 2023.

And what about the mysterious, deadly-looking stream of iridescent green that begins annually on the first day of breakup? It looks like anti-freeze and appears as the first sign of spring breakup. Long rumored to be shark repellant left over from World War II, it was found to be green dye used to make downed aviators more visible to searchers. Will it survive the renovations? “Probably not,” said the DOT’s Schaeffer.

The DOT is inviting public comments with the comment period open until March 15, 2021.