Bogard Road dedicated as Veterans' Highway

MAT-SU— Assembly Members and local Alaska Legislators paid respect to MAT-SU veterans at a dedication ceremony this week.

An east-west corridor along Bogard Road and Seldon Road to Church Street is now dedicated as MAT-SU Veterans' Highway. State Rep. Wes Keller, of Wasilla, sponsored the bill to make it happen. Keller climbed a ladder and helped tear off the covering Monday, Oct. 25.

"Every once in a while you get an opportunity to work on a bill that is fun. HB 226 was one of those," Keller said. "There was no big controversy, the one-time fiscal note was for the cost of signs, and it is such an honor to be asked to move this bill through the process to completion," Keller said. "It's one of those projects that 10 or 15 years from now no one else will remember how it happened, but I will be able to drive on Veterans' Way and smile because I had a part in it."

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly Members attended, including Deputy Mayor Ron Arvin, Assembly Member Noel Woods, and Assembly Member Warren Keogh (KEE-OH). Woods and Keogh are both veterans. Woods served during the Korean War and Keogh served during the Vietnam War.

Connecting Bogard Road from North 49th State Street to the Glenn Highway is a Borough priority project, submitted as a request to Gov. Sean Parnell's budget for $29 million by the Assembly.

Photos by Patty Sullivan/MSB.

Left photo left to right: Assembly Member Noel Woods, Assembly Member Warren Keogh, Deputy Mayor Ron Arvin.

Middle photo: Sen. Charlie Huggins, Rep. Wes Keller, Rep. Carl Gatto, Rep. Bill Stoltze, Sen. Linda Menard, Rep. Mark Neuman

Right photo: DOT employee, Rep. Wes Keller unveil the sign.

Bottom photo: MAT-SU Legislators, Assembly Members, DOT Commissioner Leo von Scheben, and MAT-SU veterans.