The Fly-Way

They call it the Fly-way,

It is, in my humble opinion, the most confusing intersection in all of Alaska; maybe even in all of the U.S. Perhaps even in all of the World! But that’s probably reaching a bit high…

In the past if you wanted to drive from Anchorage to Palmer, you’d get on the Glenn Highway and just drive straight there. You might, if you were so inclined, turn of onto the Parks Highway and head West into Wasilla or Talkeetna. But either way, you’d head North on pretty much the only highway available to you. It was a no-brainer.

The railroad crossing at the Parks/Glenn intersection caused a lot of delays and traffic jams, plus just a general increase in population required an upgrade in that area. So some Civil Engineer somewhere got hair up his butt and somehow managed to sell the upper brass on this gem of an idea. It’s beyond weird, if you ask me, but he (or she) probably got a medal or commendation for the darned project.

The general idea is to allow the railroad to pass under the highway so that no one has to stop to allow the trains to go by. That is a good idea: I agree with that concept. 

But now, in order to go from Anchorage to Palmer on the Glenn highway – you must EXIT the Glenn highway, swing around to your left over the top of the railroad tracks, then swing back to your right and under the highway and merge back onto the Glenn to continue on your way.

If you’re confused and do NOT exit but stay ON the Glenn Highway, you will be routed up and over the train tracks and under and around the people who have exited the Glenn, and get merged into the Parks Highway, to where you are then headed West on your way to Wasilla and/or Talkeetna.

It makes my head hurt just trying to think about it.

And don’t even get me started on the round-about situation at the hospital up the road a ways!