Date:         Tue, 20 Jul 2004 22:20:54 -0500
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <jh_rodgers@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <jh_rodgers@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject:      Re: roadside memorials/ No vanagon content
Comments: To: Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <134f00c1350c02.1350c02134f00c@gci.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

Mark,

I would suspect that the highway upgrade of the Seward Highway has
increased the chances of moose/vehicle accidents. That stretch from
Turnagain Pass to Moose Pass used to be narrow winding, twisting, up and
down treacherous -but it kept the speeds down relatively speaking. Also
the stretch of the Sterling Hiway from the turnoff to so Sterling down
to the Kenai Moose Range use to be pretty hairy. But since all the
upgrades with the way people drive in Alaska I would expect road kills
to have increased. Especially as night begins to close in again as
summer wanes. It is easier to see a moose crossing when you are doing 45
than when you are doing 60-70.

BTW, one winter night when it was snowing, and I was driving back down
from Anchorage to my home in Soldotna, I encountered a moose in the
middle of the curved bridge over Canyon Creek at the turnoff to Hope. I
don't know who was more surprised ... the moose or me! It was a good
thing no vehicles were coming from the other direction. There is no
telling what a moose in that predicament might decide to do. <G>

BTW-BTW - I did see the new Canyon Creek bridge construction before I
left. That new center support is awesome. Supposed to be
earthquake-shake-n-bake proof (Ha!!) and the first bidge in America to
be built on a new standard in bridge building - the metric system.
Rumor??? Maybe, but some of my buds at the hiway department were talking
about it.

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Mark Tuovinen wrote:

>Plenty of roadside memorials here in Alaska. They are becoming more prevalent, probably due to an increase in our Latino and Pacific Islander populations. Most of them are in locations that would  not be considered dangerous. Many were due to excessive speed or reckless driving, passing in no-passing zones, etc. Lots of head on collisions from people in too much of a hurry, accidents with moose add to the toll also. Almost all of our highways are two lane roads, there are probably not more then 100 miles of four lane divided highway in the state, increasing the odds of an accident.
>
>Mark in AK
>
>