Left turns getting cut

SCRIPT

The state is planning turn-blocking medians along busy stretches of the Parks Highway to cut down crashes and smooth traffic. Instead of darting across lanes, drivers would make U-turns at designated spots, the same setup already used in parts of Anchorage.

This targets one of the Valley’s most clogged corridors, especially during commute hours and summer weekends. Fewer conflict points usually means fewer wrecks and less stop-and-go chaos.

It also means some familiar shortcuts disappear. Getting into businesses or neighborhoods may take an extra minute, depending on where the breaks in the median land.

For daily commuters, the tradeoff is safety versus convenience. For Wasilla, it signals the highway is being treated like a true urban arterial now.