{
  "story": {
    "slug": "left-turns-getting-cut",
    "headline": "Left turns getting cut",
    "deck": "The state plans turn-blocking medians on the Parks Highway in Wasilla, forcing U-turns instead of left turns.",
    "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/story/left-turns-getting-cut",
    "section": "Economy",
    "area": "Mat-Su",
    "published_at": "2026-01-09T20:00:00+00:00",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-02T06:17:54.967761+00:00",
    "body_md": "The state of Alaska is planning turn-blocking medians along busy stretches of the Parks Highway in Wasilla, aiming to reduce crashes and improve traffic flow. Under the design, drivers would make U-turns at designated openings instead of turning directly across lanes, a traffic pattern already used in parts of Anchorage.\n\nThe project targets one of the Mat-Su Valley's most congested corridors, especially during commute hours and summer weekends. Fewer conflict points on the highway generally mean fewer crashes and less stop-and-go traffic for the drivers who use the route daily.\n\nThe change will also eliminate some existing shortcuts. Drivers trying to reach businesses or neighborhoods along the highway may need extra time to find the nearest median opening, depending on where the breaks are placed.\n\nThe shift represents a tradeoff between safety and convenience for daily commuters. For Wasilla, it marks a move toward treating the Parks Highway as a full urban arterial rather than a rural highway.",
    "sources": [
      {
        "url": "https://alaskapublic.org/news/anchorage/2026-01-05/state-plans-turn-blocking-medians-for-parks-highway-in-wasilla",
        "label": "alaskapublic.org"
      }
    ]
  },
  "envelope": {
    "story_id": "aa7ec674-1013-49db-a8f5-504d84c4fb33",
    "slug": "left-turns-getting-cut",
    "summary": "The state of Alaska is planning turn-blocking medians along the Parks Highway in Wasilla to reduce crashes and improve traffic flow. Drivers would make U-turns at designated openings instead of direct left turns, a design already used in parts of Anchorage, targeting one of the Mat-Su Valley's busiest corridors.",
    "key_facts": [
      "State plans turn-blocking medians along the Parks Highway in Wasilla.",
      "Drivers would use U-turns at designated openings instead of direct left turns.",
      "Similar medians already exist in parts of Anchorage.",
      "Project targets one of the Mat-Su Valley's busiest corridors, especially during commute hours and summer weekends.",
      "The change will eliminate some existing shortcuts to businesses and neighborhoods along the highway."
    ],
    "faq": [
      {
        "a": "Along the Parks Highway in Wasilla.",
        "q": "Where is Alaska putting turn-blocking medians?"
      },
      {
        "a": "To reduce crashes and improve traffic flow by cutting down on conflict points from direct left turns.",
        "q": "Why is the state doing this?"
      },
      {
        "a": "They'll make U-turns at designated median openings, a design already in use in parts of Anchorage.",
        "q": "How will drivers turn left instead?"
      },
      {
        "a": "Not yet set. The story doesn't provide a timeline.",
        "q": "When will the medians be built?"
      }
    ],
    "claims": [
      {
        "claim": "The state is planning turn-blocking medians along the Parks Highway in Wasilla.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://alaskapublic.org/news/anchorage/2026-01-05/state-plans-turn-blocking-medians-for-parks-highway-in-wasilla",
        "source_label": "alaskapublic.org"
      },
      {
        "claim": "Drivers would make U-turns at designated openings instead of turning directly across lanes.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://alaskapublic.org/news/anchorage/2026-01-05/state-plans-turn-blocking-medians-for-parks-highway-in-wasilla",
        "source_label": "alaskapublic.org"
      },
      {
        "claim": "Similar median designs already exist in parts of Anchorage.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://alaskapublic.org/news/anchorage/2026-01-05/state-plans-turn-blocking-medians-for-parks-highway-in-wasilla",
        "source_label": "alaskapublic.org"
      }
    ],
    "locations": [
      {
        "area": "Mat-Su",
        "kind": "road",
        "name": "Parks Highway"
      },
      {
        "area": "Mat-Su",
        "kind": "city",
        "name": "Wasilla"
      },
      {
        "area": "Anchorage",
        "kind": "city",
        "name": "Anchorage"
      }
    ],
    "people": [],
    "organizations": [],
    "event_dates": [],
    "story_status": "ongoing",
    "what_changed": null,
    "keywords": [
      "parks highway medians",
      "wasilla traffic changes",
      "mat-su road safety",
      "u-turn medians alaska",
      "parks highway left turns",
      "wasilla commute",
      "alaska highway redesign"
    ],
    "disclosure": "Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing.",
    "generated_at": "2026-10-01T05:23:01.521+00:00",
    "reviewed_at": null,
    "updated_at": "2026-10-02T06:17:54.967761+00:00"
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "slug": "parks-highway",
      "name": "Parks Highway",
      "kind": "place",
      "role": "subject",
      "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/parks-highway"
    },
    {
      "slug": "wasilla",
      "name": "Wasilla",
      "kind": "place",
      "role": "location",
      "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/wasilla"
    }
  ],
  "corrections": [],
  "underwriting": null,
  "jsonld": {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "NewsArticle",
    "headline": "Left turns getting cut",
    "description": "The state of Alaska is planning turn-blocking medians along the Parks Highway in Wasilla to reduce crashes and improve traffic flow. Drivers would make U-turns at designated openings instead of direct left turns, a design already used in parts of Anchorage, targeting one of the Mat-Su Valley's busiest corridors.",
    "abstract": "The state of Alaska is planning turn-blocking medians along the Parks Highway in Wasilla to reduce crashes and improve traffic flow. Drivers would make U-turns at designated openings instead of direct left turns, a design already used in parts of Anchorage, targeting one of the Mat-Su Valley's busiest corridors.",
    "datePublished": "2026-01-09T20:00:00+00:00",
    "dateModified": "2026-10-02T06:17:54.967761+00:00",
    "mainEntityOfPage": "https://thedailyalaska.com/story/left-turns-getting-cut",
    "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/story/left-turns-getting-cut",
    "author": {
      "@type": "Person",
      "name": "Slav Lund",
      "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/slav-lund"
    },
    "publisher": {
      "@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
      "@id": "https://thedailyalaska.com/#organization",
      "name": "The Daily Alaska",
      "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com",
      "logo": {
        "@type": "ImageObject",
        "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/__l5e/assets-v1/905bb2e5-b597-453b-a39d-7741edb068dc/the-daily-alaska-logo.png"
      }
    },
    "isAccessibleForFree": true,
    "inLanguage": "en-US",
    "articleSection": "Economy",
    "keywords": "parks highway medians, wasilla traffic changes, mat-su road safety, u-turn medians alaska, parks highway left turns, wasilla commute, alaska highway redesign",
    "about": [
      {
        "@type": "Thing",
        "name": "Parks Highway",
        "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/parks-highway"
      }
    ],
    "mentions": [
      {
        "@type": "Thing",
        "name": "Wasilla",
        "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/wasilla"
      }
    ],
    "citation": [
      {
        "@type": "CreativeWork",
        "name": "alaskapublic.org",
        "url": "https://alaskapublic.org/news/anchorage/2026-01-05/state-plans-turn-blocking-medians-for-parks-highway-in-wasilla"
      }
    ],
    "contentLocation": [
      {
        "@type": "Place",
        "name": "Parks Highway"
      },
      {
        "@type": "Place",
        "name": "Wasilla"
      },
      {
        "@type": "Place",
        "name": "Anchorage"
      }
    ]
  }
}