Knik Arm project proceeds

Justin Blomsness/Frontiersman reporter

The Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority has asked the Federal Highway Administration to prepare the environmental impact statement necessary to evaluate a bridge's potential effects on beluga whales, fisheries, marine sediments and wave and tidal actions along Knik Arm.

In the past, the concept of building a bridge or operating a ferry between Anchorage and Port MacKenzie was criticized - even ridiculed - as an economic pipe dream. For now, however, the project appears to be rolling along nicely, said Heinrich "Henry" Springer, KABATA's executive director.

Having completed last season's field work, KABATA has contracted an Anchorage-based firm, Northern Economics, to conduct economic impact studies. Once the potential impact of building is nailed down, the findings will be published as a draft EIS. Then the draft will be submitted for public review. From there, the EIS could be out to the public as soon as February 2006 - barring any unforeseens, of course.

Springer said it should take only about a year and a half to complete the next step of the evaluation process, but the Knik Arm project's financing for the construction phase still remains largely dependent on passage of a federal transportation bill currently before U.S. Rep. Don Young's House Transportation Committee.

KABATA officials believe a bridge is necessary because while the ports of Anchorage and Point MacKenzie are only about two miles apart, as the crow flies, it takes 90 minutes to get from one location to the other by road.

Springer said KABATA's outlook for bridge construction is optimistic, but as a toll authority, "we have to be prepared for other practical solutions, such as a ferry crossing only, or even a no-build alternative."

"We haven't identified any show stoppers yet," Springer said. " But stranger things have happened in Congress."

Any number of things could separate the project from transportation funding, Springer said.

Ideally, KABATA would like to see the bridge and the ferry working together to provide a crossing. Later, when the bridge is finalized, the ferry could be diverted to servicing other state needs, such as a transportation link between Kenai and Anchorage.

Data gathered during the EIS on beluga whales, fisheries, marine sediments, wave and tidal actions and the Knik Arm bathymetry should push those plans closer to fruition, Springer said.

"This information should help the scoping process by giving the public environmental and regulatory agencies facts based on current field research," Springer said.

Darryl Jordan, KABATA's deputy executive director, said three Alaska consulting firms managed the fieldwork this year and KABATA is "reassured to have selected many of the same firms to continue to work during the EIS and scoping phase."

KABATA also met with Mat-Su Borough officials Tuesday to discuss effects of a crossing on the Mat-Su's transportation and public facility infrastructure.

"We want to make sure the public from the Valley is aware of each stage of the process," Springer said.

"Some people might think a lot of what is going on with the Knik Arm project is happening behind the scenes and is a done deal," he said. "That is a myth."

Meanwhile, Mat-Su Borough Manager John Duffy is focused on getting a ferry built to service traffic between Port MacKenzie and Anchorage. Construction on the ferry will begin later this year in Ketchikan.

"The time line on the ferry is late 2006, early 2007," Duffy said. "That's two years away, 18 months max."

By contrast, large-scale transportation projects, such as a bridge, generally take seven to 10 years, Duffy said.

Duffy said he's been contacted by big construction companies that have expressed interest in developing Port MacKenzie as soon as a crossing is put into place.

"We need to move forward," he said. "This way, we're doing it today rather than waiting a decade. There is a tremendous amount of recreation travel from Anchorage the ferry will tap into. In the summer, fishermen will take the ferry and in the winter there will be a lot of snowmachiners coming to the Valley - a lot more."

Contact Justin Blomsness at justin.blomsness@frontiersman.com