Knik Arm Bridge Hearing Tonight at 7 p.m.

GOVERNMENT BULLDOZERS READY TO BUILD THE KNIK ARM CROSSING: Starting at 7:00 p.m. this evening, the Assembly will hold a rare public hearing on amendments to the city’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) required by the Kink Arm Crossing project. Because this $600M project will have long term consequences for south central Alaska ranging from property values in Anchorage, economic development, the Cook Inlet environment, future funding for transportation improvements in this region, and downtown traffic, public input on this project is essential. The hearing will take place at the Assembly chambers of the Loussac Library, 3600 Denali St., and probably last until 11:p.m.

Tuesday’s public hearing comes only after the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission became the first major government body to flatly oppose construction of the Knik Arm Crossing. Last week, the Commission unanimously recommended that the LRTP not be amended to accommodate the project, effectively preventing use of some $90M in federal transportation funds already set aside by the state legislature to build the bridge if its recommendation is followed by transportation administrators. The Commission listed nineteen reasons why the project should not proceed.

The Assembly may only make recommendations to the five member Local Transportation Planning Organization which in turn decides whether the LRPT will be amended to include the Project. In the meantime, the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority (KABATA) is rapidly moving ahead with the project: A draft Environmental Impact Statement has been written and circulated for public comment; a preliminary economic feasibility study completed, and the Authority has issued a Request for Qualifications to private firms and investors to determine their willingness to fund and complete the project. Responses are due on March 13th: KABATA will select a single firm by the end of the year to finance, design, build, and operate the bridge for 55 years in exchange for the tolls it could collect from motorists using the span during that time.

For more information about this project, go to http://www.tesche.us/docs/Knik_Arm_Bridge_Fact.doc