Hatcher Pass skiing likely next year

PALMER — Cross-country skiers can expect to make their first strides away from a new Hatcher Pass Nordic skiing facility in the fall of 2011.

That was the projection presented by Steven Noble — the project engineer for DOWL HKM — to the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau on Friday.

The environmental impact statement should be completed by November, Noble said, with design work wrapping up in April 2011. Construction will take place next summer, and a parking lot, transit hub and access road should be done by the first snowfall next year.

Having the EIS done in only about two years is “light-speed” compared to the five to 10 years it normally takes for federally funded projects, Noble said. Also, the $2.9 million for the EIS is cheap compared to the $5 million to $10 million it normally costs, he said.

A draft of the environmental impact statement is nearly finished and should be put up for public review in April, Noble said. This comes after about 18 months of public input. Through the process, the engineers identified the best location for the access road and what the public wants the finished product to look like.

Noble said the road will branch off of Edgerton Parks Road and run just over one mile to the parking lot accessing the existing cross-country skiing trails. It will be a two-lane road with a separate 10-foot wide gravel path running its length. The parking lot will include a bus stop and restroom facilities.

Construction will be paid for with the balance of the $5.9 million allocated to the project largely from the Federal Transit Authority. To satisfy the funding requirements, public transit will have to make regular stops at the facility. Noble said engineers are currently working with MASCOT to iron out the details of bus service.

Anything beyond the transit facility — such as added trails, lights or a day lodge — will have to come from additional funding at a later date, Noble said. Part of the larger picture includes an Alpine skiing facility farther north. But, Noble said, funding is currently being focused on the Nordic facility.

Asked what the intended summer uses are for the parking lot and adjoining trails, Noble responded there has been a lot of interest from hikers and mountain bikers. Work on the project includes balancing all the comments from a variety of user groups.