HomeMy WebLinkAbout5 251209 Appeal from Sarah TougasAt 1 :22:00 Commissioner Pemberton expressed concerns about thel 8-wheelers and double pups, noting that Port Ave was the only way out for cargo coming from ships, and how busy the summer season is. Daily, seasonally, and year-round traffic in this industrial zone involves significant commercial, hazardous, and personal traffic. Including, but not limited to: •Company trucks transporting flammable gases•Tractor-trailers hauling flammable fuel loads in excess of 135,000 lbs. -138,000lb max load•Propane delivery trucks carrying approximately 4,000 gallons of hazardous liquid propane with1,000 lbs. of flammable vapor•Air-gas delivery trucks transporting thousands of gallons of flammable gases•Tour buses carrying an average of 59 passengers•Transportation and logistics companies moving cargo to and from the port•Transportation companies hauling construction equipment to and from the freight dock•Heavy-hauling companies operating equipment loads exceeding 250,000 lbs. on DOT-issuedSuper Load permits.•Personally owned large pickups hauling oversized boats going to from service companies and thecity owned boat launch ramp.•Tourists in both rental cars and RV'sThe on-ramp from Port A venue to the Seward Highway already poses challenges. Drivers must look south for oncoming traffic while gaining enough speed to merge safely. With the newly approved CUP allowing a drive-thru at this property, drivers will now also have to monitor traffic emerging from the drive-through to the north-adding yet another step to an already complex and potentially dangerous maneuver. I ask you to mentally place yourself in the driver's seat of a 120-foot-long, 138,000-pound truck, operating an 18-speed transmission, while hauling liquid loads affected by free-surface movement and inertia. Imagine scanning for northbound traffic, accelerating to merge, and now also watching for possible distracted drivers exiting a drive-thru across the adjacent bike path. Next, envision trying to stop your tractor trailer pulling doubles, for a car that turns out in front of you that weighs 40X less than your vehicle. AT-bone collision at this driveway would almost certainly result in severe injury-or death-to the occupant of the smaller vehicle, not the semi-truck driver. That driver, however, would live with the emotional burden and consequences of the incident. In the event one of our employees were to get into an accident with a vehicle departing this drive-thru exit it could cause fatal, physical, emotional, and financial harm to our employee and their family. Concerns Regarding Process, DOT Requirements, and Survey Accuracy At 1 :20:50 in the December 2, 2025 meeting, Commissioner Hubbard noted that the Commission had the option to postpone the decision. Given the safety stakes, such a postponement should have occurred to allow for a traffic study. At 1 :08: 15, Commissioner Charbonneau noted concerns related to Alaska DOT's position discouraging additional egress points onto the Seward Highway, a state-maintained roadway. Later, at 1:11:25, Commissioner Hubbard again expressed the need for a more thoroughly evaluated review. It is my belief