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| Proposed Road Leads to Nowhere Fast By Steve Vick It's been an ongoing debate in Southeast Alaska for decades: Should the state build a road connecting Juneau to Skagway or should it simply improve ferry service? The majority of residents in the Upper Lynn Canal prefer better ferries. But the Murkowski administration is set on building a road. So as I witnessed yet another ferry schedule change, I half-jokingly said to myself, "If they keep this up, I'll have to swim to Juneau." It was an act spurred by pure frustration. For the third time in as many months the Alaska Marine Highway changed its schedule. In the face of what seemed a continual assault on the efficiency and health of the ferry system -- inconvenient schedules, lackluster maintenance, ferries shuffled from port to port -- the residents of Upper Lynn Canal were tired of seeing a potentially successful marine transportation system seemingly undermined to achieve political objectives. To me, the only response was doing something equally outrageous -- like swimming Lynn Canal. I'll be the first to admit that the idea seemed ridiculous, but what was more ridiculous was that someone would have to swim one of the deepest fjords in North America in order to be heard. It seemed every time the people said, "No road," the state lined up another bulldozer or meddled with the ferry system. In the end, actions speak louder than words, so I took to the waters to protest against an administration that would rather strong-arm the people than listen to them. Ironically, just as I finished the swim, the state announced plans to trim down the proposed road. Instead of a hard link to the continental road system, the state now wants to build a 50-mile road into the wilderness of the Katzehin River Delta, build a new ferry terminal there and add two new ferries to shuttle travelers between Haines and Skagway. This is the new preferred alternative. State project manager Reuben Yost said the new route would cost slightly less to build ($246 million vs. $276 million) but would cost more to maintain. DOT estimates road maintenance would be 45 percent more than the existing ferry. That's $27 million of the general fund that could go toward purchasing school textbooks, hiring nurses, fixing the state retirement system or, at the very least, buy 10 new planes for our governor. There is also the safety issue. DOT estimates that avalanche dangers would close the new route for more than a month each year. For those who remember the avalanche that cut off Girdwood from Anchorage in 2000, it shouldn't be too hard to imagine the maintenance and personal safety costs involved with a road that traverses more than 35 avalanche areas. And of course there is the environmental impact. The EPA has said that the existing marine highway would "most effectively avoid and minimize potential adverse environmental impacts." But if a road gets built, it would cut through world-renowned Berners Bay, two Steller sea lion (a threatened species) haulouts, 88 bald eagle nests, miles of bear habitat, and fragile salmon spawning areas. So why build it? The state originally said the reason was to provide access to Juneau. But the newest alternative means a longer, more hazardous ride to a remote ferry terminal. There is no timesaving for the traveler, and the 45 percent of marine highway passengers who currently travel without a car would be forced to drive, thus increasing their cost to travel. I realize if DOT builds the road, folks in Anchorage aren't going to be lining up their RVs to visit Juneau. But you're still going to be paying for it. Not only that, DOT has said that it will have to delay or eliminate transportation projects along the Glenn, Seward, Richardson and Alaska highways as well as Egan Drive and other major roadways to fund the $250 million Juneau Road project. (DOT admits these estimates will rise in future months.) So forget filling potholes, widening lanes and repairing unsafe bridges. Murkowski wants to build the Juneau Road. Knowing this, swimming might be the best alternative after all. Steve Vick is a lifelong swimmer who recently completed
a nine-day, 92-mile swim between Skagway and Juneau to protest
the proposed Juneau Road. |
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Steve Vick