Head west on Big Lake Road from the Parks Highway, and the state's current paving project runs 3.6 miles before it ends at the roundabout at North Shore Drive. Everything inside that stretch was this year's work zone. The roundabout itself, plus more than four miles of Church Road, were held back for 2027.
So for anyone who drives these roads every day, the pilot cars and lane shifts of late summer were the first half of the job. The disruption with the biggest calendar impact, a roughly two-week closure of Church Road, is still ahead. And a separate Borough project on South Burma Road runs on its own schedule into the same summer.
What the 2026 season covered
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities calls it the Big Lake Road MP 0-3.6 and Church Road Pavement Preservation project. The contractor, QAP, started in August 2026 with clearing and initial survey work along Big Lake Road. From there, the plan was to work from the Parks Highway toward North Shore Drive in segments of about a mile each. That work includes drainage improvements, structural dig-outs, asphalt reclamation, pipe replacements and paving.
The full scope covers more than the driving lanes. DOT's project page lists pathway resurfacing, guardrail, signs, lighting, traffic data equipment, striping, utility relocations, vegetation clearing and ADA curb ramps, each done "as necessary." That explains the clearing that came before the paving. State crews pushed trees and brush back about 10 feet from the pedestrian pathway wherever the right-of-way had room, according to the Mat-Su Sentinel.
The reason for the project came from Jonathan Tague, the state transportation engineer overseeing it. "The pavements are aging, and we need to refresh those," he told the Mat-Su Sentinel. "Maintenance has done a little bit of work to try to help those limp along, but some of the underlying issues didn't change."
The timing was always tight. In late August, the Sentinel reported that pavement work would be "completed before the snow flies." Your Alaska Link reported that Big Lake Road work was expected to continue through September, with crews returning next year for the roundabout and other improvements. Those were the stated plans. For conditions on any particular morning this week, check Alaska 511 before you leave.
Why the line stops at North Shore Drive
The project stops at the roundabout. Big Lake Road past North Shore Drive is not part of this resurfacing. The roundabout is inside the project area, but DOT moved it to the second season. Its page says work on the Big Lake Road/North Shore Drive roundabout and on Church Road is planned for 2027, with construction expected to wrap up that year.
DOT has not published a 2027 start date, phasing plan or traffic-control setup for the roundabout. That matters because North Shore Drive is where the Big Lake Road corridor meets the lake's north side. For now, all residents can plan on is the year.
Church Road is the bigger 2027 disruption
Big Lake Road was the first half of a two-part, $16.4 million federally funded pavement project. The second half covers more than four miles of Church Road, from the Parks Highway to West Schrock Road.
That half comes with a full road closure. Tague told the Mat-Su Sentinel that Church Road work will require "an approximately two-week road closure to replace deep pipes near the Spruce Avenue and Seldon Road intersection," and that the project is expected to cause major traffic disruptions.
On Big Lake Road this year, the state promised to keep access to homes and businesses open while crews worked in segments. Church Road will have two weeks with no through traffic near Spruce and Seldon. No closure dates or detour route have been published. A state bid notice gives the contract completion date for the whole DOT project as October 31, 2027. That is the outer edge of the window, not a closure date.
Burma Road runs on the Borough's clock
The third project is unrelated to the state work. It is a Matanuska-Susitna Borough job paid for by the 2024 Transportation Infrastructure bond package, known as TIP24. On June 16, 2026, the Borough Assembly awarded Bid No. 26-172B to Ficklin Construction, LLC for $585,000 to build Burma Road Safety Improvements.
According to the Assembly's action memo, the work covers a segment of South Burma Road between Carpenter Lake and Moore Road, about 0.81 mile long. The scope includes widening, drainage upgrades, sight-distance improvements and embankment stabilization. The road is also being realigned to sit within its dedicated right-of-way. The finished section is designed as a 24-foot gravel road with 2-foot gravel shoulders and drainage ditching. Burma Road stays gravel, just wider and straighter through that stretch.
The contract set substantial completion for October 2, 2026, and final completion for July 16, 2027. The Borough also asked for authority to extend the completion date by 90 days for unforeseen circumstances. Even if the main work wraps on schedule, the contract stays open into next summer, and that summer already holds the state's roundabout and the Church Road closure.
The calendar on one page
| Project | Agency and contractor | Where | Stated timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Lake Road resurfacing | DOT&PF, QAP | Parks Highway to North Shore Drive roundabout, MP 0 to 3.6 | Started August 2026; reported plan was paving before winter |
| North Shore Drive roundabout | DOT&PF | Big Lake Road at North Shore Drive | Planned for 2027 |
| Church Road resurfacing | DOT&PF | Parks Highway to West Schrock Road | Planned for 2027, with an approximately two-week closure near Spruce Avenue and Seldon Road |
| Burma Road Safety Improvements | Mat-Su Borough, Ficklin Construction | South Burma Road, Carpenter Lake to Moore Road | Substantial completion October 2, 2026; final completion July 16, 2027 |
| Full DOT project | DOT&PF | Both roads | Contract completion October 31, 2027 |
From the Parks Highway end, the sequence is clear: one season of segmented paving with access kept open, followed by a season that adds a new roundabout and a hard closure on a commuter road. That second season also overlaps with the July 16, 2027 final completion date on the Borough's Burma Road contract.
Where answers will show up first
DOT held an open house on the project on September 2, 2026, at the Big Lake Lions Recreation Center, 2942 S Lions Circle. The stated purpose was to share construction goals and the anticipated schedule. The 2027 closure dates and roundabout staging will come from the same team. Until then, these are the most direct sources:
- The DOT&PF project page, which has the project status and the December 2025 certified plans.
- The project team's email, [email protected], run by DOWL public involvement.
- Alaska 511 for live lane restrictions and closures.
- The Borough's AM 26-089 action memo for the Burma Road contract terms.
If you'll be listing a Big Lake home in 2027, the road calendar affects scheduling too, including showing days, moving trucks and contractor access on Church Road. When you're ready to plan around it, Julie Erickson and the team can start with a free home valuation and help you pick dates that avoid the closure window once it's announced. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
