Skagway vote could block road to Juneau

The Skagway City Council, already on record opposing construction of a highway to Juneau, may obstruct the route this week with an ordinance designating an area for recreation.

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In a 5-0 vote last month, the council tentatively approved an ordinance that would declare the Dewey Lakes area just east of downtown Skagway an official recreation area. The council may take final action on the proposal Thursday.

The state Department of Transportation said the designation could create a significant hurdle for the Juneau Access project, for which the state has picked a preferred alternative of a road up the east side of Lynn Canal that would run through the Dewey Lakes area.

Dewey Lakes is a popular spot for fishing, camping and hunting and is Skagway's No. 1 recreational area, according to Skagway Mayor Tim Bourcy. He said the Skagway City Council created the Dewey Lakes Special Management Area Committee to establish a land-use plan for the area.

Bourcy said the committee was not established to block the road proposal.

"They are truly separate issues," he said. But, "did the proposed road kind of trigger us looking at how that property was going to be used? I would say yes."

Pat Kemp, a DOT preconstruction engineer, said the ordinance, if approved Thursday, could trigger the Federal Highway Administration to designate the area for recreation, which would require road planners to find alternatives to building within the area.

"The bar is set pretty high on that," Kemp said. He said the designation would require DOT to pursue options including building a road to the Katzehin River about 18 miles south of Skagway and providing shuttle ferry service to Haines.

The department also could build a mile-long tunnel under the Dewey Lakes area for about $70 million.

Thor Henricksen, a member of the advisory committee that recommended the land use plan, said he is afraid Skagway is going to suffer in the long run if it doesn't cooperate with the state's efforts to build the road.

"We're the city of Skagway, not the country of Skagway," he said.

Henricksen, a road advocate, opposed the ordinance and tried to remove the words "recreation area" from the land-use plan. He accused Bourcy, who appointed him and the committee's other four members, of forming the group in an effort to block the road proposal.

"He stated we were supposed to come up with a plan even if there were a road," Henricksen said. "He said it was in no way intended as a roadblock. It was obvious to me later that it was intended as a roadblock."

Henricksen also said he thought that he was appointed to serve as the group's token road advocate.

"That's completely untrue," Bourcy said. "Every person on that committee was selected for a reason."

He noted that he was aware that Henricksen supported the road when he appointed him to the committee.

Bourcy said the committee met several times since this spring and took public testimony from individuals in the community.

"There was a very long public process," he said. "It's a recreation area that's been used for 100 years and all we're doing is formalizing that. For the state or anyone else to say there is an agenda is offensive."

Skagway citizens will participate in an advisory vote in today's municipal election on whether or not they support the road or better ferry service. The city has passed similar resolutions in the past supporting ferry service over the road.

• Timothy Inklebarger can be reached at timothy.inklebarger@juneauempire.com.