A set of barricades have been placed in front of the entrance to the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, where traffic previously could enter from Overland Avenue. That’s because of traffic using the chamber parking lot to skip the stoplight at the intersection of Main Street and the Kenai Spur Highway, Kenai City Manager Terry Eubank told the Kenai City Council on Wednesday.
“We have a problem in the parking lot at the visitor’s center,” he said. “I have no idea why, but people can’t drive the extra 50 feet down the road and turn at the stoplight to get into Old Town. So, they cut through the visitor center parking lot, and they race through there.”
The issue was raised by Kenai Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Samantha Springer, he said, and the traffic creates an “unsafe environment” whenever people are in the lot.
This summer, signs could regularly be seen in the parking lot calling for traffic to slow down and exercise caution.
“You’d be surprised how fast people can get going in that parking lot,” Eubank said.
Long term, he said that the city will explore options for mitigating the risk. There once were speed bumps in the parking lot, now wholly worn down.
The barricade will be removed temporarily on Friday for Christmas Comes to Kenai festivities hosted by the Kenai Chamber of Commerce, and Eubank said the barriers might be instead placed on the other entrance, coming off the Kenai Spur Highway, after the event.
“That is actually the better side to close on a temporary basis,” he said.
Springer, speaking to the council during the meeting, agreed that closing the highway side would be safer, as there isn’t a turn lane for those travelling northbound to use while trying to enter the parking lot from the highway. When there’s too much traffic, she said, that means that travelers have to instead follow the highway further down and entirely turn around to travel back to the parking lot.
With the entrance closed, Springer said she’s seen lots of cars still entering the parking lot to cut through, though they’re now made to turn around and reenter the highway to access Old Town.
“People are still zooming through there, but it is getting less and less every day,” she said.
A full recording of the meeting can be found at “City of Kenai – Public Meetings” on YouTube.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
