“This is the right time to look at this.” Borough, cities consider reexamining Knik Arm Crossing Project; urge Governor to do the same.

The Knik Arm Crossing Project, a once-dormant proposal for a connector to link the two fastest growing parts of Alaska – Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. It was put on pause in 2016 due to the state’s financial situation, but now the cities of Houston, Palmer, and Wasilla, along with the Matanuska Susitna Borough.

In April of 2022, the Alaska Department of Transportation (AKDOT) released a 192-page comprehensive report from 2019, ‘Knik Arm Crossing Project: Analysis for Moving Forward to Financing and Construction,’ also referred to as the Hemenway Report.

It was an examination of what steps would need to be taken in order to revive the KAC project after it had been put on hold back in 2016.

However, since that time, the Borough, the state, and the nation as a whole have gone through significant changes that make today’s federal and state infrastructure finances look very different.

The diminishing labor pool, lingering supply chain issues, changes in work patterns and attitudes, and even the COVID-19 pandemic are also to be considered with the validity of the Hemenway Report. The report, according to an AKDOT press release says that while there are useful parts within it, the department no longer considers it current. Meaning, that information pertaining to costs, traffic patterns, stakeholder engagement, and procurement must be re-evaluated.

According to the press release, “The department will continue to work with our federal partners to continue in the completion of commitments made in 2016 when the project was paused.”

Now, the 3 cities within the Mat-Su Borough, along with the MSB itself are calling upon Governor Mike Dunleavy to look into restarting the KAC project.

“Back in late January, early February, we had a teleconference with the Governor to see if he would get on board. He asked to see how much support there is in the Valley, so the communities are putting forth resolutions for that support,” says MSB Mayor Edna DeVries.

On Monday, the Wasilla City Council will bring forth a resolution in support of the opportunity to reopen examination into the Knik Arm Crossing (KAC) Project during the regularly scheduled city council meeting. The City of Palmer will have a public hearing to discuss the KAC project. The Houston City Council was supposed to bring their resolution in support of the project, but tabled the discussion after a council member voiced concern over not having enough time to review the Hemenway Report.

Currently, there are 3 key State transportation projects originate at the Point MacKenzie area: the KAC, which has approximately $150 million invested; the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension (PMRE), with about $184 million invested; and the West Susitna Access Road, with approximately $8.5 million invested.

In December, 2022, Mayor DeVries sent a letter to the Governor urging him to restart the KAC and leveraging the PMRE for different modes of use that would not only create economic development opportunities, but also provide resiliency, and perhaps most importantly to commuters, 2 ways to access interior Alaska from Anchorage, reducing traffic congestion in the core Mat-Su Valley area.

In the letter, Mayor DeVries wrote that the Borough is proposing to leverage the $184 million invested by the State into the PMRE to open up an 18-mile public road between Ayrshire Avenue out to the Miller’s Reach Road in Houston. This would connect Point MacKenzie with the Parks Highway, opening an alternate route besides the Glenn Highway to Parks Highway.

“We believe that the KAC project will help safety and security for another way in and out of Anchorage,” said Mayor DeVries, adding, “Anchorage needs options for affordable housing, we have lots of land. This would go a long way in easing that.”

She said that there is a resolution from the Fairbanks Borough Assembly in support of reexamining the KAC, and that they are waiting for the Denali Borough to sign off in support of it too.

“We feel like this is the right time to take another look at this. We have a lot of options to move forward with this.”