Bethel Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway

Project Details: Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway MP 0.0 to MP 4.4 Pavement Preservation & Bethel Ridgecrest Drive MP 0.0 to MP 0.62 Pavement Preservation- Bethel, Alaska.

Knik resurfaced and repaired various structural sections of Bethel’s Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway for settlement issues that the region typically experiences. This two-lane highway is Bethel’s only access to the airport making it a very busy road for the traveling public. In a “regional hub” village like Bethel, which is disconnected from the state’s road system, unimpeded air traffic operations are vital. Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway provides a critical component for this region’s connection to the rest of the state.

Traffic control was an integral part of this project to ensure safety for the public and the construction crews and to aid with construction efficiency and traffic delays. A large local labor force was employed and trained for this project to help control one of the busiest roads in Western Alaska.

The main intent of the work was to fix damaged sections of the highway due to settlement issues. These sections also changed dramatically from the time the job was designed to when Knik started construction. Our survey crew worked diligently with our partners at Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to quickly redesign the damaged sections to ensure the traveling public of Bethel would receive the best product possible.

Knik constructed 30,000 square yards of foamed asphalt base course, laid 16,000 tons of HMA, and installed over 1,500 feet of various sized culverts to fix the damaged sections of the highway. Work also included improvements to pedestrian curb ramps, guardrail, guardrail end treatments, dig-outs, signing, striping, bridge membrane, and utilities.