July 20, 2018 ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Alaska State Troopers want to remind motorists to be especially mindful of safe driving practices and highway laws over this weekend. AST is expecting traffic to be heavy on the Kenai Peninsula due to multiple events drawing people south and increasing traffic.

This weekend is the second weekend of the Kenai River Dipnet Fishery Opening and historically is the busiest weekend for the fishery.  Over the last 10 years, the Kenai Fishery has averaged a harvest of about 350,000 sockeye salmon among about 30,000 permit holders according to data from the Department of Fish and Game, making the fishery the most popular in Southcentral Alaska.

The Seward Highway will also be the race course for portions of the Alaskaman Triathlon that takes place on Saturday. Portions of the biking segment of the race will require racers and their support vehicles to be on the highway in places where narrow or no shoulders are present. Motorists should be patient and use extreme caution while sharing the road with bicycles, pedestrians, and slow-moving vehicles.

Motorists should mind their speed, pay attention to their following distance, drive with headlights on, and obey traffic signs. In addition, there may be sections of the highway where motorists will encounter road construction. Traffic fines are doubled in safety corridors and construction zones. For road construction information, visit 511.Alaska.Gov or www.AlaskaNavigator.org.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adversal-468×60″]

AST will have increased patrols on the roadways and waterways to help ensure people arrive safely at their destinations. Alaska State Troopers will mostly be out on the roads enforcing traffic laws and responding to calls for service while Alaska Wildlife Troopers will focus on contacting people out fishing or recreating around Alaskan lakes, rivers and seas.

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