50 attend Hatcher Pass roads-to-ski meeting

Residents listened to an overview on:

• Road alternatives that will lead to the southern side of Government Peak for accessing a proposed Nordic Ski area. The alternative, which appears to have the least impact on local residents, the least environmental impacts and is the shortest, would be about a mile west of the intersection of Palmer-Fishhook Road and Edgerton Parks Road.
• A less steep road/driveway proposed off Palmer-Fishhook Road at mile 11 to the northern side of Government Peak for accessing a proposed Alpine ski area.
• parking areas for buses and vehicles bus shelters/transit facilities will be at both locations.

Three Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly members attended: Deputy Mayor Lynne Woods, Michelle Church, and Rob Wells. Wells said he was impressed with the participation on a rainy summer night.

“There continues to be solid support and good focus for the Alpine and Nordic ski areas proposed at Hatcher Pass,” Wells said.

An environmental impact statement, EIS, is under way for the transit project.
The Borough received some $5.6 million in federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration for an environmental study, roads, and transit infrastructure.

Fieldwork began last summer and more will continue this summer. The EIS will cover impacts related to transit improvements such as access roads, parking areas, transit shelters and trail connections.

DOWL HKM is helping the Borough write the EIS. Stewart Osgood, with DOWL, gave an overview of the road possibilities. “On the Nordic or southern side we winnowed down the opportunities to what we currently view as the highest probable access route,” Osgood said of a proposed yellow route. There are three variations on the yellow route.

Among the constraints and considerations are: finding property owners willing to sell land for access; finding the least extreme possible topography and gradient for safe bus travel; avoiding wetlands; crossing streams at right angles for good culverts and fish crossing; keeping the road short and with few curves.

On the other side of the mountain, there is one alternative for the access driveway to the Alpine ski area. A driveway with an 11 percent grade exits the Palmer-Fishhook Road now. The proposed driveway would reduce the steep slope to a seven or eight percent grade by departing the Palmer-Fishhook Road earlier.

The roads are estimated to cost $1 million to $2 million per mile.
A preliminary engineering report will show costs. As the project moves through the EIS process a preferred route will be presented.

Among the audience questions:

Will the two roads being planned be paved?
Answer: Yes, paving is part of the plan.

When the roads are completed will bathrooms at both ski areas be present?
Answer: Yes, if facilities are not yet built, interim bathrooms will be provided at both the Alpine parking area and the Nordic parking.

Will motorized access such as snow machines continue to be a part of the recreation at Hatcher Pass?
Answer: This project is not addressing snow mobile access. A revision of the Hatcher Pass Management Plan is ongoing by the State Dept. of Natural Resources. Several meetings are taking place next week. Visit the state web site for more information. http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/planning/mgtplans/hatcher_2009

A draft EIS is expected to go before the public beginning the summer or fall of 2010.

The ski facilities are planned to open in 2012.

Hatcher Pass is 55 miles north of Anchorage. Some fieldwork began last summer on 11,000 acres in the Talkeetna Mountains and foothills. The Borough owns 3,000 acres and has management authority on the remaining land.

The Borough is researching ways to fund the regional ski area, which for phase 1 would cost about $19 million. The Hatcher Pass Ski areas include both Alpine and Nordic. The main features proposed in Phase 1 of the project include two chair lifts, a day lodge with snow sports school, rental equipment, night-lighting, and snowmaking on the northern Alpine side.

On the southern Nordic side: 10 kilometers of competition trails, 10 kilometers of recreational trails, road access and parking are in phase 1.

The web site www.hatcherpass.com is a place to comment and learn more.

For more information call Michela Spitz at Dowl HKM, 746-7600, or Brad Sworts, MAT-SU Transportation Division Manager at 746-7430 or MAT-SU Public Affairs Director Patty Sullivan 355-0103 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.