Safety money pulled back

Nearly twenty million dollars that was supposed to fix some of our deadliest roads has been pulled back by the state, right as pedestrian deaths keep climbing.

Over the last two years, thirty people were killed walking in Anchorage, many on the same high-speed corridors we all use every day.

This funding was aimed at safer crossings, better lighting, and traffic changes on roads where drivers and pedestrians constantly collide. Now those improvements are on hold, even as traffic volumes and speeds keep rising.

Legislators are pushing back, arguing the city can’t afford delays when people are still getting hit. For families who walk, bike, or take the bus, this isn’t abstract funding. It’s whether the next crossing feels survivable.

I’m Slavik and ill see you tomorrow.