Pribilof Islands Transportation Safety Action Plan
While the number of motor vehicle fatalities has been low over the past five years, the Pribilof Islands region has documented a higher number of serious injuries. In many areas there are no stop or yield signs, a lack of delineation between walking trails and motorized trails, and lighting is poor and limited.
Prevention of future roadway fatalities and serious injuries is of critical importance to our remote and isolated communities. Due to the lack of hospitals or trauma centers, patients with serious injuries must be airlifted or medevacked the nearly 800 miles to Anchorage. Medevacs can often be delayed due to persistently overcast skies, high winds, frequent cyclonic storms, and heavy fog.
With funding provided by the US Department of Transportation “Safe Streets and Roads For All” grant, a regional transportation safety action plan was developed by Kuna Engineering to identify actionable strategies towards reaching the goal of zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries, supported by a process of community engagement and attention to equity. Stakeholder engagement and a collaborative approach ensured the Transportation Safety Action Plan reflected the unique needs and perspectives of the Pribilof Island region, ultimately enhancing roadway safety and providing long-term safety initiatives that support the future growth and development.
The stages of development of this plan are detailed below. Documents or data generated from each stage are also available to review below.
Project Kick-Off and Safety Action Plan Team (SAPT) Development
In December 2023 a Kick-Off meeting was held. A Safety Action Plan Team of project stakeholders was organized by January 2024. Members of this team included representatives of each community, city government, public works, public safety, tribal government and school district.
Public Outreach and Engagement
Kuna Engineering ensured community feedback was collected and recorded at every stage of the process. Surveys, reports of feedback from public meetings as well as drafts of the report were made available to review through this site. The Story Map outlines key safety initiatives, improvement strategies, and regional goals to enhance transportation infrastructure and ensure safer travel across these remote communities.
Public Meeting and Site Assessment
Public meetings were held in Saint Paul throughout the process. Kuna Engineering visited and assessed the site and held public meetings in April 2024. A product of that meeting included The Transportation Safety Map —developed to include transportation infrastructure, crash data and crash sites on both Saint Paul and Saint George Island. The map is fully interactive and details crash locations, severity, dates, vehicle types, and other relevant details sourced from the City of Saint Paul Public Safety Office and the Saint George Transportation Safety Plan Click the link below to view it.
In June 2024, a Kuna survey crew visited Saint Paul Island to capture drone imagery data. The team also collected survey monument locations for community mapping and implementation for the Transportation Safety Action Plan. This data was integrated into The Transportation Safety Map as well as the Saint Paul SS4A Action Plan Public Survey Feedback Map and the Saint George SS4A Action Plan Public Survey Feedback Map.
Final Draft Plan Public Review
Meetings were held in Saint Paul to review several drafts of plans — first to the City Council of Saint Paul. Feedback was incorporated into the draft and then presented to the community on three occasions for further feedback.
Plan Adoption and Implementation
In Spring 2025, the Councils for both the City of Saint Paul and Tribal Government adopted the plan and began implementing the strategies and priorities outlined in the Project Matrix.
Project Overview
The Pribilof Islands Regional Transportation Safety Action Plan is now complete. For updates on this and other transportation safety efforts, please visit the project updates and announcements page.
The Safety Action Planning Team and the City of Saint Paul sincerely appreciate the feedback received throughout the planning process. Comments regarding the final plan are welcome and can be submitted to the project manager, Joseph Rolfzen (907) 339-6500 –JRolfzen@kunaeng.com.
