Valley needs general obligation bond bill

The Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce on last Tuesday invited Murph O’Brien of HDR Alaska to highlight the Wasilla Couplet project that is in the works for the downtown area. I secured $5 million for this project in the fiscal year 2012 Capital Budget, and I’m glad to see the much-needed couplet is moving through the process.

Sitting in the meeting listening to the report got me thinking of the Valley’s infrastructure past, present and future. I’ve lived in Wasilla for more than four decades and in that time I’ve seen the area grow by leaps and bounds — mostly due to the wonderful quality of life to be found in the Mat-Su.

We’ve gone from gravel roads to four lane-highways, from an area of just a few thousand to almost 100,000 residents. The 2010 U.S. Census is hard to ignore, with the Mat-Su’s population growing by 50 percent — one of the fastest growing areas in the United States.

I’ve also sat on the Senate Transportation Committee for four years, and was the vice-chair of the committee during the 26th Alaska Legislature, a role that has kept me informed on infrastructure issues around the state.

But my heart is in the Mat-Su, and our area will need smart investment from the state in infrastructure so private business can flourish and our quality of life can be maintained.

There are many different ways to approach upgrading our infrastructure.

My preferred method is the construction of the Knik Arm crossing. I’ve written about this project in these pages before, but I want to reiterate that this is private money financing, building, operating and maintaining the bridge, with the state’s end of the deal being a supply of toll revenue to satisfy periodic availability payments.

The beauty of this project is the public-private partnership structure being used to complete the bridge. By partnering with the private sector Alaska saves General Fund money because the bridge is predicted to make obsolete the need to expand the Glenn Highway and construct a Wasilla bypass, both of which would have to be funded by state dollars. These projects could be avoided because the bridge will siphon enough traffic off the Glenn Highway and out of the core area of the Mat-Su Borough that the state can spend the funds it saves from not doing those projects on other transportation projects.

The good news is construction of the crossing is scheduled to begin in 2014, so Alaskans will be able to reap the benefits of thousands of construction jobs followed by hundreds of permanent jobs added as the Point MacKenzie area and points north become more easily accessible.

Staying in Wasilla for a moment, I want to mention more good news. Three million dollars I secured last year in the Capital Budget has paid for a road from Mack Drive to the Wasilla Airport, which significantly improves the access to what I’m convinced will become a major economic hub for the city.

We’re on the verge of possibly having big-time projects blasting off the ground when voters head to the polls this November. The Legislature passed a general obligation bond bill (HB 286) that allocates $68.5 million to the Mat-Su for four projects: The Port MacKenzie Rail Extension, Bogard Road Extension East, Knik-Goose Bay Road Reconstruction and Fairview Loop Road Reconstruction. Voters play such an important role with the funding for these projects because Article 9, Section 8 of the Alaska Constitution mandates that capital Improvements funded by general obligation bonds be approved by a majority of voters during the next general election.

I was deeply involved with advocating for the four projects the Mat-Su received in the bond bill and I can vouch for the positive impact they will have for all residents who drive the roads in the Mat-Su and for our Valley economy as a whole.

I constantly remind my fellow legislators and the governor of the Mat-Su’s growth and our importance to the whole of Alaska. It also helps, in our system of self-government, when the people make it known to their elected representatives how important these projects are.

Alaska was the 49th state admitted to the Union, so obviously our infrastructure is still growing. My time on a National Conference of State Legislatures nationwide transportation committee has taught me that planning for future growth is much better than trying to catch up once the population exceeds the capacity of local infrastructure. Alaska is open for business, and we can expect to keep growing as the years go on, so we must be prepared.

Linda Menard is a Republican who represents District G in the state Senate.