Rail and roads among Assembly 2008 goals

MAT-SU At a recent retreat, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly Members and Mayor Curt Menard focused on economic development and quality of life issues in the states fastest growing community. The MAT-SU population continues to grow faster than the national average at four percent a year.

The Saturday, Jan. 26 retreat allowed the Assembly to establish goals for 2008. Newly-elected Assembly Member Pete Houston, of Palmer, said the time spent on planning is a solid step toward creating goals and a strategic plan. If we can devote 25 percent of our time to planning we can be more efficient and spend the other 75 percent of our time getting the job done rather than reacting to issues and putting out fires, Houston said. The Assembly has agreed to hold another retreat in the spring, a first.

The list of goals is complex. Among them: developing Hatcher Pass as a regional ski area, supporting the construction of the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension, and developing more business at Port MacKenzie.

The Rail project is expected to stimulate the development of new mineral mines north of the Alaska Range. Bulk mineral transport related to the new mines is expected to provide an additional $7.8 million, $33 million, and $45 million per year in rail freight revenues respectively during the first, second, and third decades of rail extension operation. Expected revenue streams to the state from these mines in the form of corporate income taxes, mining license taxes, and mining royalties is expected to be up to $18.1 billion or $300 million a year over the first 60 years of rail extension operation. These figures come from a report by Dr. Metz, a University of Alaska Fairbanks professor.

State roads rise to the top of a list of concerns. The MAT-SU has three of the the most deadly roads in the state. Deputy Mayor Lynne Woods is concerned about unfunded state road projects harming the quality of life here as well as crimping economic development. We have tried to acquire state funds for state road projects but new roads are not getting built, Woods said. The thought that Trunk Road will not be started this summer is unconscionable. Postponing it for another year, how many millions will that add to the project? Woods is pushing for a state-funding transportation program. Alaska is one of the few states without such a program. Federal monies for Alaska road projects in 2009 will drop.

The MAT-SU Borough, alone, has a list of $1.5 billion in highway projects that must be undertaken over the next 20 years or the roads will be red with congestion.

Among the state roads that need attention:

• Trunk Road, realigning and widening to four lanes from Parks Highway to Palmer-Wasilla Highway, $20 million
• Seward Meridian, stalled for lack of funding, needs additional $12 million for utilities, widening a four-lane to Seldon Road is another $32 million
• Glenn Highway from the Parks interchange to Palmer-Fishhook Road. The four-lane upgrade was expected to begin three years ago. This year there may not be money for design work at $1.4 million. Construction is $18 million.
• George Parks Highway from Big Lake to Wasilla, widening to four lanes, $70 million.

The Boroughs main roads are two-lane roads but are carrying four lanes of traffic. Three separate fatal accidents occurred recently on state roads.

We have the traffic. We have the accident data. We have all the criteria that shows state road funding needs to come to the MAT-SU, Woods said.