A 4.5-mile highway improvement project along Alaska’s Glenn Highway has earned Sturgeon Electric Company a 2026 Project Excellence Award from the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), recognising the electrical contractor’s work on streetlighting and traffic signal upgrades.
Sturgeon Electric, a subsidiary of MYR Group, completed the electrical scope for the project covering the Parks Highway to South Inner Springer Loop. The improvements were designed to increase visibility, improve traffic flow and support safer travel along a heavily used transportation corridor near Anchorage.
The project initially involved lighting and signal improvements at two intersections but expanded into a broader highway reconstruction effort. The two-lane roadway was widened to four lanes, intersection layouts were revised and additional intersections were incorporated.
Working under the general contractor, Sturgeon Electric delivered the complete electrical scope. Work included approximately 60,000 feet of conduit, most of it installed underground, 127 lighting fixtures and two traffic signal systems. The signal installations included traffic control cabinets and poles with mast arms ranging from 50 to 70 feet.
The expanded project required adjustments to construction sequencing as roadway configurations and intersection designs changed during execution.
Existing underground utility records did not accurately reflect field conditions, creating potential conflicts between planned pile foundations and nearby water and sewer infrastructure.
Sturgeon Electric paused pile foundation installation and introduced a verification process using potholing to confirm utility locations and depths. Coordination with the general contractor and foundation subcontractor helped establish safe work sequences.
The team completed all 36 pile foundations and 91 cast-in-place concrete foundations without damaging underground utilities or causing significant project delays.
Sturgeon Electric also self-performed trenching and backfill operations, involving approximately 42,000 feet of excavation. Boring beneath active railroad crossings required additional coordination with railroad operations, and the work was completed without disrupting rail traffic.
Alaska's limited construction season required early procurement, prefabrication and extended field schedules. Sturgeon Electric assembled mast heads and signal poles in a controlled environment during winter to prepare equipment for installation when weather conditions permitted.
During the peak construction period, crews worked six-day weeks with 10-hour shifts for approximately three months. These measures helped the team maintain productivity within the available construction window.
The project demonstrates the coordination required to deliver electrical infrastructure within complex highway reconstruction work. Underground utility verification, railroad crossing operations and changing roadway designs created challenges that required adjustments to field execution.
For transportation owners and contractors, the project also highlights how early procurement, prefabrication and detailed construction planning can support delivery in regions with short seasonal work windows. The completed lighting and signal improvements are intended to support safer, more efficient travel along the Glenn Highway corridor.
Source: MYR Group.
