Road appeal

Posted by Paulette Simpson

Posted: June 7, 2009 - 9:39 am

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We learned Thursday that the State has appealed the February decision by U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick granting the request of an environmental group to stop all work on the Juneau road.

The judge had agreed with the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) that the Federal Highway Administration violated federal environmental laws by failing to consider existing state ferries as an alternative to the road.

Actually, the state has given undue consideration to ferries for years. Just ask the legislators who are forced to appropriate general fund dollars to support the escalating subsidy every year. If they’re honest, they’ll tell you that the expense of operating the ferry system represents the most lopsided appropriation in the state budget.

The annual cost to operate and maintain ferries is $140 million (not counting the cost of the ships themselves) of which the state pays $95 million. Yes, the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) subsidy is equal to 200 percent of the revenue that is collected. For every $3 it costs to operate the ferry system, the state pays $2 and users pay $1.

The latest AMHS study predicts the subsidy to rise to an unsustainable $150 million in the not too distant future. There is only one way to control costs and improve transportation and that is to build and lengthen roads wherever possible and shorten ferry runs.

Obviously, there are many island communities in Alaska with no alternative to ferry service that deserve support. Juneau is on the mainland, however, and should have been connected to existing road heads at Haines and Skagway years ago.

While the most important reason to support this 51-mile road is the rising cost of the AMHS to all Alaskans, there are also significant environmental benefits to building the Lynn Canal Highway. Vehicle travel is more eco-friendly than ferries. More on that later.

The Palin Administration’s decision to appeal the decision to stop the road is correct. Even if the appeal takes years, at some point the outdated Southeast Alaska transportation model simply must be replaced by something more sensible, sustainable and cost efficient.

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