Murkowski pitches more roads, rail if elected Alaska governor
ANCHORAGE - U.S. Sen. Frank Murkowski is laying out a far-flung vision of new roads and railroads across Alaska he says he would pursue if elected governor. But he wouldn't say how the state would pay for building or maintaining the projects.
The roads and rails likely would cost hundreds of millions or possibly billions of dollars, according to the State Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
When asked about how the state, facing a fiscal gap of more than $500 million this year and more than $1 billion in coming years, would pay for the projects, Murkowski said roads and other infrastructure are about "investing in things that generate a return and sense of prioritization.
"I'm not going to be pinned down on the specifics because I don't have to," he said Saturday.
Murkowski's list of projects is ambitious:
• A road linking Skagway and Juneau.
• A road up Bradfield Canal in Southeast Alaska near Wrangell to Canada.
• A bridge over Knik Arm linking Anchorage and the Mat-Su.
• A road from the Anchorage area to Bristol Bay.
• A road to Cordova.
• Improvements on the road to McCarthy.
• A road between King Cove and Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula.
• Roads to remote mining prospects such as the Donlin Creek and Pogo gold deposits.
• A railroad connecting Alaska and Canada.
• A rail link between the Red Dog lead and zinc mine and Point Lay.
Democratic candidate Fran Ulmer said in an impromptu press conference after Murkowski's that she too supports new roads, but such projects are a matter of money.
"Where is the money going to come from? He proposed a lot of very, very expensive projects. Unquestionably transportation is a key ingredient in economic and community development, but making those decisions about how to spend those transportation dollars wisely is a big challenge," Ulmer said.
In the face of huge budget shortfalls and dwindling reserve funds, she said, the state should focus on maintaining and upgrading roads and other infrastructure in Alaska's population centers: Anchorage, Mat-Su and Fairbanks.
Murkowski has yet to detail how he would fill the state's fiscal gap. Murkowski said Saturday he does not want budget cuts but wants to avoid substantial budget increases.
The core of Murkowski's fiscal message has been resource development. His transportation plans, he says, dovetail with spurring Alaska's economy.
Many of Murkowski's proposals - such as the Cold Bay-King Cove road - depend on federal legislation or federal dollars. But all the projects would likely require some state action and money, and the state would have to pay to maintain them.