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Road safety improvements to the Sterling Highway through Cooper Landing have found their way onto Soldotna's project priority list for the State Transportation Improvement Plan.

The central Kenai Peninsula city also would like the state to widen the arterial highway to four lanes all the way from the Fred Meyer store to the existing four lanes in the community of Sterling.

The Soldotna City Council is slated to consider its STIP priority list at Wednesday night's council meeting.

Cities throughout the state are asked annually to submit a project priority list to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities for funding consideration.

Because Soldotna is a tourist destination, the city is interested in having the Sterling Highway be as safe and motorist friendly as possible, according to City Manager Larry Semmens.

State Representative Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, on Monday was not predicting movement on the highway redesign through Cooper Landing any time soon.

"I don't think they've come back with anything they all agree on," Chenault said. "In my mind, pick a route and let's get this started."

He said, although the reconfiguration of the highway through Cooper Landing to accommodate increased traffic and improve motorist safety has been studied for several years, "they've never been able to put together a plan the (Cooper Landing) community, the state and DOT agree on."

"To continue to spend a lot of money on engineering studies is a waste of time," he said.

The number one priority on Soldotna's proposed STIP list is expanding the Sterling Highway to four lanes from Devin Drive at Fred Meyer all the way into Sterling where the highway already has been expanded.

Chenault said DOT already has some plans to upgrade the roadway, but the plans might not be to widen the road to four lanes.

"Maybe it's three lanes, or three lanes in some areas," he said.

Currently he said the only Sterling Highway improvements scheduled for the peninsula are repairing ruts in the areas between Mile 94 in Soldotna and Mile 110 in Kasilof.

Soldotna also has a traffic light at the intersection of the Sterling Highway and Birch Street on its state highway project wish list. At a previous city council meeting, council members learned the price tag for such a light has risen to $1.5 million. According to state officials, the traffic light would require installation of pressure sensing devices into the roadway pavement to activate the signal only when needed. The light would be synchronized with traffic signals all the way to the Kalifornsky Beach Road intersection, as well.

Soldotna officials are especially interested in the traffic light, now that Soldotna Creek Park is being redesigned and a super playground is planned for the new park.

Other items on the priority list include Funny River Road improvements from the Sterling Highway to Soldotna Municipal Airport; widening the Kenai Spur Highway to five lanes all the way from Soldotna to Kenai; and building a connector road from the Spur to the Sterling highways to be used as an emergency alternate should some event close the Soldotna "Y" intersection of the two highways.

The city of Kenai also has the Spur widening on its STIP list sent to DOT.

Soldotna will consider approval of its list at Wednesday night's council meeting.

Phil Hermanek can be reached at phillip.hermanek@peninsulaclarion.com.