Back 
State transportation officials are backing away from one of the most controversial alternatives in the new Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan, saying it wasn’t really an alternative they were considering at all.
The plan’s alternative that calls for abandoning ferry service from Bellingham and across the Gulf of Alaska wasn’t really an alternative that was under consideration. That alternative, one of several, including doing nothing at all, should really be considered a “concept” they were looking at, said Marc Luiken, commissioner of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
“That’s the term we used when we really were talking about concepts,” Luiken said.
Under the option with the most roads, the southernmost point on the Alaska Marine Highway System would be Prince Rupert, in British Columbia. A system of short shuttle ferries and road segments would provide connections throughout Southeast.
Luiken said that option, on which criticism has been focused, was not being proposed and would not be in the final plan in that form.
“It’s not an alternative, it’s a concept, I want to make sure that’s very clear,” Luiken said.
The road-heavy concept would eliminate the ferry system’s two big revenue generators, the run between Juneau and the upper Lynn Canal ports of Haines and Skagway, and the run south to Bellingham.
“When you eliminate the routes that are lucrative, the Bellingham route, the Lynn Canal Route, what effect will it have on ticket prices for the rest of the system?” asked Mike Korsmo, a Marine Transportation Advisory Board member from Skagway.
Members of the military who want to avoid border crossings, Korsmo said, heavily use the route across the Gulf of Alaska. They’d lose that option.
“It’s a major concern for me, and I think a lot of people,” he said.
Southeast Region DOT director Al Clough said the controversial alternative in the Southeast plan was something of a “straw man” that staff knew would be controversial.
It was “giving them something to shoot at,” he said.
Luiken said the department would not include any of the alternatives in its final plan without changes.
Sen. Charlie Huggins, R-Wasilla, said the strategy of attempting to draw fire might not have been the best one to use.
“You don’t have to invite people around here to shoot at things,” Huggins said.
Clough said he hoped to have the plan done by the end of the year, or even by the fall. That may not be that may not be possible, however.
“It’s going to take the time it is going to take,” he said.
It is still early in the process of developing the plan, Luiken said.
The ferry system also heard compliments from Korsmo, Sen. Dennis Egan, D-Juneau, and others about the progress on building a new Alaska-class ferry and the system’s efficient operation in recent years.
“We’d be in deep trouble if we didn’t have the Alaska Marine Highway System that was developed just after statehood,” said Egan.
The committee praised the decision to standardize vessel design for the new ferry, and possibly build it in Ketchikan.
Department staff said they are close to reaching a deal with that city’s Alaska Ship and Drydock on construction.
• Contact reporter Pat Forgey at 523-2250 or at patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com.
Comments (30)
Add commentWhy are we subsidizing...
Gun nuts and felons?
They're the two groups who want to avoid going through Canada.
Safe Transportation is the Top Priority
Kudos to the Legislature for calling DOT on the carpet about their direction and plans for the future. Rather than let DOT decide where to build major SE roads, Marine Highways and the Marine Transportation Advisory Board (MTAB) need a bigger policy role for replacing or decreasing stops on the statewide ferry route. With so much emphasis on making the Glenn and Seward highways safe for Railbelt residents, designing and promoting an unsafe, $500 million dollar road for Lynn Canal is preposterous.
It was meant as a threat
and to distract us from the real purpose of building roads -- roads that were promised by officials since Murky's administration. The companies are all lined up for the bids and the officials all lined up with their hands held out.
Thanks Sens. Kookesh and Egan and Mike Korsmo for looking out for us!
I can hardly wait for the Alaska class ferries.
You're right Chip
Mat-Su, with no sales tax, is the big black sucking hole on the state's transportation budget. Watch for plans to rebuild the Seward Highway where people have died every year suck the money out of the budget.
Build the road!
And make it pretty.
You're wrong, North
North, Juneau and Kenai are the only boroughs in the state with a sales tax, so your whole argument falls flat. Even if the Mat Su had a sales tax, it wouldn't really have an impact to the state's road budget, as state highways would still be covered by state funds. Neither Anchorage nor Fairbanks have sales taxes, and both have large road budgets. The Seward is a high-use highway with dangerous areas. You comments seem merely snide, inane, and disjointed, and really bears nothing to the argument at hand.
NEPA
It might help if some had a better understanding of the NEPA process and what "Alternatives" mean in that context.
Port Hardy should be southern terminal
SE Alaska receives a higher transportation subsidy per person than the remainder of Alaska. We need to be considering ways to reduce the subsidy.
Move southern terminal of ferry system to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. Would greatly reduce the length of sailing to Washington and still allow an alternative to the long drive, especially in the winter, to Prince Rupert.
Subsidizing?
Those sailings around Canada are the revenue makers. And you don't have to be a felon to be turned away from the border.
vrlind - yawn
And the North and Southwest of Alaska receive fuel oil subsidies, and someone else receives a greater airport subsidy.......so what?
Build it and they will come:
Two things come to mind here.
“Members of the military who want to avoid border crossings” Is this the best he could come up with? Why would the military want to avoid the crossings? If you have a felony you’re not going to be in the military anyway.
“The road-heavy concept would eliminate the ferry system’s two big revenue generators” Big revenues, sense when has the ferry system ever ran in the black?
Lat58: I’m a gun nut and I take firearms into Canada every year and use them to hunt up there. It’s not that hard of a process.
Felony?
You can be denied access to Canada for something on your record a lot less grievous than a felony. Try illegal camping on Federal property. Of course the Mounties will give you a five day pass for a gratuity of $250. It is so kind of us to share our 'criminal' records with a foreign country.
Build it:
Dunker, yes there are several things that can keep you out of Canada. A misdemeanor of any type can do it. My point was why did Korsmo single out the military. I believe his comment would apply to everyone. “Illegal camping” were you squatting? I do agree, why are we sharing our criminal records with Canada, I don't believe the reverse applies.
DOT scoping presentation
I attended the SATP scoping presentation in Juneau last October, and I have to say, DOT made a pretty skewed pitch to build more roads and do away with long distance ferries. Luiken can say all he wants that the alternative that outlined more roads and less boats was simply "conceptual," but that certainly wasn't the tone of the presentation. Looks like the Legislature called DOT out on this one.
As far as guns are concerned, I'm not necessarily a gun nut, but I do own a couple. When I've transported them in my vehicle between here and Montana, I've taken the ferry to avoid difficulties with Canadian borders. I assume a lot of folks, military and Coast Guard included, do the same?
call it a bike trail and build it....
DOT is on the right track to get the State moving ahead with building the roads and to minimize the cost of long term transportation needs of this region. The ferry system was useful in the 70's, but with fuel costs escalating to $5.00 a gallon, building roads wherever we can to reallocate ferry service to shorter day time shuttles just makes sense...and that is just one argument to shift to roads, check out www.cpralaska.com for the FACTUAL information, not environmentalist propaganda.
What is the cost
associated with the great road plans? For miles and miles of road costing a million dollars a mile to build cost thousands of dollars a mile to maintain.
daaayum
damn kookesh, treyshawn haven't seen a staredown like dat since jack nicholson in the shining yo!
Milspec
Actually it was for 'criminal trespass', camping in a no camping zone. One night. My bad...9 1/2 years later the family decided to drive through Canada to the U.S. in our camper. A $250 gratuity for a five day pass. Canada has a ten year holding period for 'unsavory' visitors. I'll avoid Canada just for the principle.
You have good point. Why the emphasis on the military? Read like a paragraph was left off the story.
Yep, Al's got his happy face
Yep, Al's got his happy face on!
Build the road
With the money savings in fuel oil, wood pellet burning ferries can be built to placate the greenies.....
OK, criminals
Then take an airplane. Why should the State be responsible for providing you transportation because you were naughty?
It could be worse. You could be a teacher and get fired for your trespass violations or parking tickets.
And the irony is not lost on us with you criminals decrying the Canadian border policies, and then in the next breath demanding your road out of Juneau (to Canada, in case you hadn't thought that through).
Transporting guns - you can ship them ahead if it's that important. Again, why should the State subsidize your gun transport needs?
Just annex Canada and make
Just annex Canada and make them states 50-60. Problem solved. Just gotta teach those eastern Canadians to speak our national language - spanglish.
Geewhiz Jim
I live in the Skagway Borough and we have a sales tax, so I guess your info is not all that accurate. And I do believe the Haines Borough has one too. And I've sat through legislative budget hearings and seen small towns get hosed by legislators in the MatSu who shot down funding projects in rural regions but got funding for road projects in their area.
The point is a sales tax helps a locality fund its own projects and not rely mainly on the state for aid. And don't forget the money the feds provide.
Back to the subject
While I haven't seen the plan report, some of this stuff makes sense. Case in point: Sitka.
Safety.
If you've ever sailed to Sitka during the daytime hours you've seen how tricky that place is to navigate through the twists and turns and through the ever so skinny (many) narrows - Olga Strait, Neva Strait, Kakul Narrows, Rose Channel and the infamous Sergius Narrows. Lets not forget Deadmans Reach, lol.
What amazes me is there is a lot of traffic navigating this passage during the NIGHT time hours! Yikes! Why there hasn't been dozens of accidents here is close to being a miracle (ferry wise). Wow, and the traffic continues.
If for nothing else, build a road out of that maze of rock piles with concern for life. A terminal somewhere around Peril Straits or (Kelp Bay) makes a lot of sense (and should to all). And to think, the ferry system would shave nearly a hundred miles off their navigation route - saving fuel too. And beyond the ferry system, think of the freight traffic that could mutually benefit all.
There are other places. Pelican. How many miles is it out there and back? The treacherous Ocean water is no fun with certain weather and tide influences. Don't they deserve better transportation?
POW area I'm sure..........the list goes on.
Jmho
BUILD THE ROAD
Build the ROAD!!
Tenakee too.
I think they are like a mile or so away from a road system! But then again, its' Tenakee - I guess they like their solitude.
The Alaska Marine Highway System
is our road. It is a road that has a lesser impact on the land and environment of tiny Southeast Alaska then an extended system of roads would. Roads need maintence to remain passable and safe not just in the summer when conditions are favorable, but when winter hits as well. So will we develop bus systems to take people to the next far-flung terminal for a hop to another road? Does anyone understand the logistics for the poor traveler who has to undergo that hopping nightmare?
Ferries provide a flexible transportation system that can reflect the various needs of Southeast and Aleutian Alaskans. Flying is not always the preferable option.
Tenakee is not the only community in southeast that places high value on isolation and the unique southeast lifestyle. Why do you live here? Have you been to the Kenai lately? Roads can fundamentally alter the character of a place and those changes can't be undone like a ferry route.
Huh..
Kenai?
The topic was about connecting roads here and there if it was an option and if it had a potential to cut some costs here and there I suppose. Tenakee has that option but has refused much to the surprise of some pretty influential people who work for the State. Yup. The only people who get this are the people who speak for Tenakee.
I don't blame you for not wanting to fly.....it is darn expensive to fly on a float plane. I imagine the state has similar concerns if thats what this article is about.
@Huh
"Kenai?
The topic was about connecting roads here and there if it was an option and if it had a potential to cut some costs here and there I suppose. Tenakee has that option but has refused much to the surprise of some pretty influential people who work for the State. Yup. The only people who get this are the people who speak for Tenakee.
I don't blame you for not wanting to fly.....it is darn expensive to fly on a float plane. I imagine the state has similar concerns if thats what this article is about."
Wow. If you've been to the Kenai Peninsula lately or listened to the Alaska news you'd know about all the yearly fatalities along the Seward and Sterling highways. Also, you would know that Sotdotna and Kenai look like freeway towns in the lower 48 as a result of all the road traffic. I don't live in Tenakee and I've never been, so call it the Tenakee opinion if you want- the ferries make sense and roads don't.