The road cost more, is environmentally dangerous and the majority of residence prefer ferries... why build it?
Local public sentiment favors better ferry service. The ferry is less expensive to maintain and operate, more reliable, safer, and causes no environmental damage.
The Facts
Costs and Benefits
The Juneau Road would come at the expense of other critical transportation
needs. According to the Department of Transportation, funding the $281
million (or more) road could cause the delay or elimination of other
transportation projects currently in the state’s budget (SDEIS page).
In addition to the over quarter billion dollars it will cost to construct the road, DOT has found that the proposed road will also be more expensive for the state to maintain and operate than the existing ferry system when all of the costs and revenues are considered over a 30-year period of time.
...one of the biggest transportation boondoggles in the country.
Taxpayers for Common Sense
Impacts to the communities
The majority of residents of in Juneau, Haines,
and Skagway are on record as supporting ferry service over a road in the
Lynn Canal.
Improved access to Juneau is not expected to result in new major economic development in Alaska (SDEIS page). The only economic benefits to Juneau would be to “redistribute” or siphon economic activity from Haines, Skagway and other areas of the state.
The number of RVs in Juneau could quadruple the first year the road is open and increase from there (SDEIS page 4-29).
Construction of the road could cause property taxes to go up in Juneau (SDEIS page 4-28).
EPA
says: Retaining the marine highway rather than road-building
would "most effectively avoid and minimize potential adverse environmental
impacts."
Environmental Impacts
A Juneau Road would dismantle a functioning public transportation system
and go through 61 avalanche paths, permanently destroying hundreds of
acres of vegetation, over half of which is old growth forest. The road
would impact two Steller sea lion haulouts, bisect 60 miles of brown
and black bear habitat (compromising the ability of bears to move freely
between coastal and alpine habitats), and negatively impact a rich and
abundant marine ecosystem.
Safety
If built, the proposed 68-mile road would instantly become one of the
most dangerous roads in North America, traversing over 60 avalanche
chutes. DOT predicts the road will be closed over a month each year
(page 4-48).
In the over 30 years of operation, there have been no safety-related deaths on board the Alaska Marine Highway System. Compare this with the 70 Americans who die on our nation’s rural roads each day.
The above information is from the Department of Transportation’s Juneau Access Improvement Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS). View the SDEIS.
Steve Vick