The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, also known as AIDEA, made a presentation to the Mat-Su Borough Assembly this week during the Assembly’s regularly scheduled meeting.
The purpose of the presentation was to update the Assembly on the proposed West Susitna Access Road. AIDEA is currently wrapping up Phase 2 of pre-development for the project. AIDEA confirmed that they have completed wetland mapping, held an online open house, and prepared a preliminary engineering report for the road.
The 100-mile proposed road would include 156 stream crossings and contain 145 culverts, the majority of which would be for fish passage. The road would also require eleven bridges.
Brad Swartz, from the Mat-Su Borough Department of Public Works, explained that the benefits of the road would include potential agriculture and forestry development, as well as public recreation.
But Assembly members were most interested in how the $350 million dollar road would be paid for and be maintained. Alan Weitzner, Executive Director for AIDEA, said that funding would be secured through private investment, although he didn’t mention any investors by name. He attempted to explain how the maintenance costs would be covered.
“So we would not be looking at the Mat-Su Brough in supporting the road. We would not be looking at the State in supporting the road. We would be looking at really the underlying revenues, supporting the economic development, resource access and volume usage along the road.”
The next step for West Susitna Access is for the Borough to approve Phase 3. According to Mr. Weitzner, decisions made in Phase 3 include: who would be paying for the road, what usage fees might look like, and would improvements be needed at Port MacKenzie.
Vern Halter, Mayor for the Mat-Su Borough, didn’t sound optimistic about the project as it currently stands. He responded to Mr. Weitzner in the meeting.
“I think you’re lucky, cause this is my last term, I’ll be done in November. And I hope you don’t think I’m a skeptic, you know, but when I came on, my first Assembly meeting, this is two terms Assembly two terms as Mayor, I got the MV Susitna, an 89 million dollar boat, a free boat, that turned in to be one of the biggest jokes on Earth. Then, the Railroad Spur line came, and this was going to solve all the Borough’s problems. And, look at it, it’s still not finished. You know, and I look at this and you’ve got 145 culverts. I do appreciate the fact that 90 of them are fish culverts, you know, we’re hitting that right on the button there. Eleven bridges, four complex bridges… there’s only one bridge I’m interested in, and that’s Port Mackenzie across the Knik Arm. To me, that is the future of the Mat-Su Borough. And I appreciate this… and all this… but we have an underfunded Railroad Spur line that was started and not finished. And now, all of a sudden, we’re going to start this hundred miles, and I’m just not sure I’m convinced that it’s going to produce what your saying it’s going to produce.”
The Borough will receive a final proposal for Phase 3 from AIDEA in late Spring. At that point, the Assembly will vote to either apply for permitting for the road or vote to abandon the project.
