Railroad issues ultimatum to Wasilla

WASILLA -- The Alaska Railroad has effectively delivered an ultimatum to the city of Wasilla -- the railroad is going to act and if the city and Mat-Su Borough want to be a part of it, they need to give the railroad some viable solutions, according to railroad officials.

Pat Gamble, Alaska Railroad Corp. president, referred to one of the alternatives in ARRC's effort to straighten and improve safety features all along the mainline track as the "Great Wall of Wasilla," in a speech Tuesday made to the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce.

Although the remark was made in jest, the reality of this solution is not a joke. Imagine an 8- to 20-foot berm that starts somewhere near the Glenn Highway and runs through the middle of town, with a few tunnels that run beneath the wall to allow traffic to pass under the tracks unhindered by the fast-moving trains traveling overhead. This plan would satisfy the safety concerns as well as the realignment efforts of the railroad.

"The ARRC would like to see an agreement made by the local governments before the railroad goes forward with their realignment effort," said Tim Thompson, public affairs officer for the railroad. "If an agreement can't be reached, the ARRC will keep doing what we've been doing -- run right through Wasilla."

In September 2000, the city of Wasilla authorized a Wasilla Alaska Railroad Relocation Reconnaissance Study, which looked into developing alternatives and estimating costs for relocating the Alaska Railroad in the Wasilla area. The study was completed and released in 2002 after a period of public comment.

Everyone who spoke during the open-house meetings held by the city of Wasilla in November and December 2000 supported the project as long as it wasn't in their back yard, according to the study. The city's study developed five alternative routes, which also included a no-build alternative. Under the no-build alternative, the tracks would remain where they are.

The four alternatives initially released covered a variety of solutions. One alternative only eliminated seven at-grade crossings, requiring 136 acres of right of way and measuring 5.97 miles. Another alternative eliminated all 11 crossings from the Glenn Highway to the Wasilla Airport, requiring 193 right-of-way acres and measuring 7.98 miles.

Due to feedback the city received from the community, a fifth alternative was added that would eliminate all 11 crossings but would cost $5.5 million more than the other options.

An agreement for the rerouting alternatives must be reached between the city of Wasilla and the Mat-Su Borough Assembly, because the tracks would likely cross through city and borough land.

Wasilla Mayor Dianne Keller served in 2000 as a member of the Mat-Su Borough local emergency planning committee, which decided that moving the tracks around Wasilla would greatly benefit the community for both safety reasons and economic growth potential.

Now the mayor is working with the borough and ARRC to find a solution for the problem. The city of Wasilla is hosting a closed summit with parties from the borough, Alaska Railroad and the city of Palmer to review the findings of the rail relocation study and discuss environmental assessment options, along with all the other potential problems and likely solutions, in an attempt to reach an agreement that works for everyone.

"The city of Wasilla, the borough, and the Alaska Railroad are all working together to find the best solution for all parties involved," Keller said. "This 'Great Wall of Wasilla' is just not acceptable."

With the steady increase of property value in the area, the price of this project is also steadily increasing. According to Gamble, things that are options now may not be options in the future.

The railroad is currently working on an environmental assessment in the area between ARRC Milepost 154 through Milepost 158, which is just short of Knik-Goose Bay Road and includes the Fairview Loop crossing.

At the chamber meeting Tuesday, Gamble also fielded questions about the Point MacKenzie Bridge project and the possibility of running the rail across the bridge.

Gamble said running the railroad over the bridge is too cost prohibitive for ARRC to even consider right now, so it is not an option.

People interested in more information about the Wasilla-area project may visit the ARRC Web site at www.akrr.com and click on "Projects." People may also e-mail questions to public_comment@akrr.com.

Contact Michael White at mike.white@frontiersman.com.