West Susitna Access Priority for Assembly

The Borough Assembly will discuss a list of state and federal legislative priorities at the November 21st meeting. The West Susitna Access Road is one project they will consider. Though unclear from their statement, they support recreational and development access to the area.

The support appears in contradiction to the overwhelming majority of Mat-Su residents, Native corporations, and business owners who responded to surveys about the original mining road. There is not an updated survey about the new proposal. Some commenters expressed support that was contingent on the road being open to the public and the new project will be designed for that.

Stefan Hinman, Borough Director of Public Affairs, says the Assembly is supporting the State’s proposed recreational road, a different project from the original access road. Responsible development, access to timber, and recreational access to areas such as the personal use fishery are priorities for the Assembly. When asked about stream crossings impacting king salmon spawning habitat, a specific concern for many opposed to the development, Hinman indicates that the Borough has a strong record of protecting those crossings. 

“Fisheries are very important to us. We absolutely prioritize them. Our record on fish culvert improvements actually leads the nation. And I would assume the State would follow suit.”  

Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, or AIDEA (AY-duh), proposed the original project on behalf of mining companies that might use the road to haul mined products to Point McKenzie. The original proposal was not for a public access road, but was instead for mining traffic only and would extend much farther than the new proposal.

AIDEA announced in July that the State would develop a separate project that would be dedicated to public access. The first 15 to 18 miles of the project would be built by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, or DOT, leaving it open to public use. AIDEA will continue its efforts to build a private access road to serve mining opportunities. DOT Communications Director Shannon McCarthy says the roads could connect, but there is no plan to do so at this time. 

The State intends to use Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP, funds to build their portion of the road. According to the fiscal summaries, the 18-mile project will cost $82,500,000 to connect the highway system to State recreation lands and construct a boat launch facility accessing the Susitna River. About ten percent of that would need to come from the state. McCarthy says she is unsure how many stream crossings or the location of the boat launch until there is funding available to begin drafting a plan.

Comments are still being accepted on the draft STIP before submission to the Federal Highway Administration. The final draft will be available by March.

Though the first 15 to18 miles are now designated largely for public recreation access, Hinman says he understands the concern about irresponsible development.

“We take it so seriously. We take our trails seriously. With the growth that we’re experiencing out here, I think development out west isn’t such a bad thing if we do it right.”

AIDEA representatives were not available for comment.