In its version of the state capital budget, the Alaska House Finance Committee has added $45 million of federal funds for the Knik Arm Bridge.
If built, the bridge would span from Big Lake to Government Hill in Anchorage. The project is supported by the Mat-Su Borough Assembly, but critics question its economic viability. The bridge was initially under the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority, but that agency was shuttered last legislative session, and the state Department of Transportation now controls it.
The funds moved to the Knik Arm Bridge’s line item by House Finance come from federal highway money that the state receives each year and not from the state’s general fund.
Before the session, Governor Bill Walker issued an administrative order halting spending on six mega projects, including the Knik Arm Bridge.
