Lodge owners along Denali Highway seek help
FAIRBANKS - Lodge owners along the 135-mile Denali Highway are looking to legislators for help.
With summer ending, they are worried about snow removal and want legislators to get a firsthand look Sunday at the road's deteriorating condition.
"The road has become very difficult to pass over at any amount of speed," said Rep. John Harris, whose district includes the eastern end of the highway.
Area business owners are frustrated with rough road conditions since maintenance was cut July 1 because of lack of funding.
In the past, the state has kept the highway free of snow from May 15 until Nov. 1 as part of its summer maintenance schedule.
Lodge owners also face a problem in not knowing when the snow will be cleared from the highway at the end of the season, they said. That makes planning for next year hard.
A Department of Transportation official confirmed that the department does not intend to do any maintenance, including snow removal, unless directed to by Legislature.
"We do have our hands tied to a large degree," said Dennis Poshard, special assistant to the DOT commissioner.
Poshard, who noted the department made $3.4 million in cuts to accommodate its reduced budget, called the lodge owners' meeting with legislators a good move.