Governor responds to Frontiersman publisher’s column

I have always appreciated the balanced approach from the press across Alaska, including the Frontiersman. I wish there had been a call from the Frontiersman to myself or my staff before then recent opinion piece was published about the Knik-Goose Bay Road. If such a call had been made, I believe it would have been a very different article.

I’ve made difficult and unpopular decisions since taking office, and trust me, I’m used to taking the flack for it. But to see wildly inaccurate claims promoted in print by the publisher of a major state newspaper is a different matter. The Frontiersman article on KGB Road upgrades at its best lacks context and muddles facts, and at its worst promotes dangerously counterproductive claims. I’d like to set the record straight.

First and foremost, there are two separate reconstruction projects on KGB—a federally funded project and a state funded project. The author suggests we paused a project that is “90 percent funded by the federal government.” That is incorrect.

The federal project (from Centaur Avenue to Vine Road) was never paused and project staff continue to work around the clock to get through final design stages. On this, we agree wholeheartedly: these upgrades are critical to improving the safety of the road. It has among the highest traffic counts for a two-lane highway in Alaska—ranging from 16,000 to over 18,000 vehicles a day. Of the five fatalities on that road in 2018, three occurred on this section of highway. Again, this section was never paused.

The 100 percent state funded project (Vine to Settlers Bay) was paused for less than a year. We put state funded projects, and projects across the state, on pause for a reason, which I would have thought would be old news by now: We inherited one of the worst economic downturns in recent memory, a collapse of state revenues, and no agreement from the legislature on how to pay for basic services other than blowing through $14 billion of our savings account.

The cuts were painful and consequential. We lost trooper posts, prosecutors, and shut down construction projects, and closed 40 state facilities across the state. When we paused the one state KGB project, it was not even close to construction. It was however, close to purchasing Right of Way, which is typically one of the most challenging and time-consuming phases of a project. The project was put back on the active list over a year ago -- a year earlier than most of the state-funded projects -- because we prioritized projects that will make Alaskans safer.

These projects take time, but the rise in fatal crashes in spring 2017 demanded immediate action. My father used to live off KGB road – I know it needs work. I did a personal ride along with an Alaska State Trooper of the KGB road on May 30, 2017, to see firsthand the driving conditions. Following my ride along, I asked to Department of Transportation Commissioner to do everything to make that road safer as work on the road progressed without interruption. We reviewed cost estimates of installing turning lanes, but those temporary changes would have only furthered delayed the road widening construction. The Department of Transportation identified and implemented faster traffic calming measures, including wider striping, more frequent speed limit signage, new sections of rumble strips to keep drivers in their lanes.

But on the article’s main point, the author and I agree: state services are vital, and often lifesaving. Together, we have come a long way to address our state’s fiscal crisis, closing 80 percent of the deficit. But we’re not there yet. While I’m happy that the Knik-Goose Bay Road Projects are moving full-steam-ahead, we are still operating with a negligible capital budget that leaves infrastructure across the state underfunded and susceptible to rapid deterioration. As Alaskans, we must all take ownership over our safety and the safety of those closest to us. On the road, that means driving carefully, sober, and without distraction. In the capitol building, that means staying true to facts and working towards solutions. My administration stands committed to that work, and we will continue to work with any member of legislature who is willing to join us.

** Editor’s Note: This is Gov. Bill Walker’s response to an opinion piece written by Frontiersman publisher Dennis Anderson and published in the Sunday, Sept.16, edition of the Frontiersman. The column can be found at: https://www.frontiersman.com/news/go-ask-the-governor-why-he-s-killing-alaskans-rep/article_032b156a-b98b-11e8-b987-bf916a1d500c.html.