Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

As the state moves ahead with a proposal to make changes to Lutak Road, some neighbors are advocating for adding a bike path and lowering the speed limit.

A new bike lane from the ferry terminal to the Chilkoot recreation site and a 25 mile-per-hour speed limit past 8 Mile Lutak Road would help lessen traffic along the road, a popular route for tourists who want to see bears along the Chilkoot River, six Lutak residents told the CVN this week. Some said they don’t want to see the road itself widened or any changes that could make drivers go faster.

The Alaska Department of Transportation suggested “improving” Lutak Road last year in exchange for giving up three neighborhood roads to the borough, but state officials haven’t fleshed out a final proposal yet, DOT planner Marie Heidemann said. Haines officials expressed interest in the idea, citing increased bike and other tourist traffic along Lutak. The state plans to submit a funding application for the project later this month, Heidemann said.

“There are getting to be a lot of people out here,” said Lutak resident Sally McGuire. “Improving the bike lane a little would be great. It only has to be on one side of the road.”

But “all that happens if you widen and straighten (the road) is people drive faster,” McGuire added. “They already drive too fast.”

Several neighbors agreed that speeding is an issue, especially where most houses in the area are congregated, within a few miles of the Chilkoot River bridge. The speed limit changes from 50 to 35 miles per hour past the ferry terminal at 4 Mile Lutak Road. The road past the terminal isn’t patrolled by Haines Police.

“They should change the speed limit, or enforce the current speeds,” said Lutak resident and business owner Barbara Nettleton in an email.

“I also believe bike shoulders should be added from the ferry terminal to the Chilkoot Corridor,” Nettleton added. “There are many bicycle riders, e-bike riders, scooters and even a commercial bike tour operation that utilize Lutak Road.”

While most residents interviewed by the CVN said they have observed more traffic on the road in recent years, not all feel changes are necessary.

“I don’t think there are very big problems with the road,” said Tim McDonough, who lives on Lutak Spur Road.

“If the state largesse wants to put a bike path there, that would be wonderful. But if they don’t, that’s ok, too,” he added.

The current road is a “heck of an improvement” from the dirt and curvy track that existed when Richard Buck moved to town, said Buck, who lives on Lutak Spur Road.

“The thing I would approve of is a bicycle lane,” he added.

Buck also suggested increasing the speed limit to 45 miles per hour past the ferry terminal and lowering it to 25 miles per hour where the houses start.

Another suggestion, from Lutak resident Jim Wilson, who the CVN interviewed last fall, is to add a digital speed sign to show drivers how fast they are going. Wilson also expressed concern about how widening the road might impact upland and downhill property owners.

The state’s proposal has drawn criticism from other community members, who worry about the borough assuming ownership of state roads — Piedad, Comstock and potentially Allen-Menaker.

“You’re being strong-armed here basically by bureaucrats who would love to get out of their obligations,” Tom Morphet told the Haines Borough Assembly in November.

Mayor Douglas Olerud told the CVN last fall he sees why the state thinks the three neighborhood roads that could be exchanged for improving Lutak should be under borough control but that if they were transferred, he would want DOT to upgrade them first.

Residents who want to submit photos or other information to help DOT plan the project can email state planner Heidemann at marie.heidemann@alaska.gov.