Mega-Projects

Pages about proposed transportation mega-projects in Alaska

The Juneau Road/Ferry Mega-Project: Why It's a Bad Idea

What is the Juneau Road/Ferry Mega-Project? The Murkowski Administration revived an earlier proposal to link Juneau to Haines or Skagway (both communities have road connections to the Al-Can Highway). The Juneau Road/Ferry project would consist of 50 miles of new road from Echo Cove (approx. 40 miles north of Juneau) to the Katzehin River via the east side of Lynn Canal, a new ferry terminal at the river 90 miles from Juneau, and new shuttle ferries to Haines and Skagway. The project is considered a “mega-project” because it will cost at least $374 million, i.e., vastly more than most Alaska road projects and would require nearly $22 million in state transportation funding each year through 2021. The state has spent $24 million to date on the project, and all necessary permits have been issued. Governor Palin has not allowed the project to move forward until all litigation is resolved.

The Knik Arm Bridge Mega-Project

The Knik Arm Bridge project would consist of a toll bridge across Cook Inlet’s Knik Arm from Anchorage to Point MacKenzie and numerous miles of access roads on both sides of the bridge. To avoid passing through military land, the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority (KABATA) chose a bridge access route through the historic Government Hill neighborhood of Anchorage. To keep costs down, KABATA picked a bridge design consisting of an 8,200 foot bridge attached to a mile of gravel-supported, offshore causeway (rather than a longer bridge and little or no gravel-supported causeway). To reduce costs further, KABATA plans to send traffic exiting the bridge directly into downtown Anchorage rather than linking the bridge to the area’s highways. The Knik Arm Bridge likely will cost $639 million for its first phase and $504 million for its second phase, i.e., vastly more than most Alaska road projects.

The Gravina Access Bridge Mega-Project

This nearly $400 million project was cancelled by Governor Palin on September 21, 2007. As of fall 2007, however, the state is continuing to build the 3-mile Gravina Access Highway on lightly-populated Gravina Island using funds from a $48 million dollar federal earmark. This “highway” will end at a beach, where the bridge is not scheduled to be built. The Alaska Transportation Priorities Project urges Governor Palin to either return the earmark money to the federal government to demonstrate her fiscal responsibility or to ask Senator Ted Stevens and Congressman Don Young to agree to reprogram that money for sensible transportation purposes, including road upgrades in Ketchikan.