Transit plan tackles future traffic jams

It's no secret: Traffic in Anchorage is terrible. Especially during rush hour. There are long waits at the lights, with rows of cars burning expensive gas and trying drivers' patience.

The still-developing Anchorage long-range transportation plan is working to alleviate some of that aggravation.

The plan could guide as much as $2 billion in investments in Anchorage.

The next draft of the plan is due out by early August, and will be open for public comments for the next month.

The proposed plan suggests adding 40 new lane miles to the streets in the Anchorage Bowl, that's a 4 percent increase over the more than 1,000-mile network currently in the area.

Most of the city's highway funding comes from federal funds, about $56 million in 2005, said Anne Brooks, of Brooks and Associates. Brooks presented the plan's highlights to the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce July 11. Other funding sources come from municipal road bonds, which voters approve, and from the municipal general fund and the state.