Knik Arm bridge would not decrease commute for most of Mat-Su

Knik Arm bridge would not decrease commute for most of Mat-Su

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 - by Rebecca Palsha

Anchorage, Alaska - It's more than a 50-minute drive between Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley along the Glenn Highway, and most commuters dream of a faster, easier route to get to work.

But if motorists were counting on the proposed $600 million bridge across Knik Arm to shorten the commute, they could be disappointed.

During a public meeting today, the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority showed the public just how long it would take to get across the bridge into Anchorage.

A $3 toll will get drivers a one-way ticket across the bridge.

But only drivers from the southwest parts of the Mat-Su Borough may possibly expect their commute to be cut in half. People who live in Port MacKenzie could expect a drive time from there to downtown Anchorage of 11 to 20 minutes.

But if you live in Wasilla or Palmer, the drive across the $600 million bridge is more than 60 minutes: 10 minutes longer than using the Glenn Highway.

From Big Lake, the proposed Knik Arm bridge commute would be 30 to 60 minutes, which is about the same time it takes traveling existing highways.

From Houston, it would take between 61 and 100 minutes, which might save 10 to 20 minutes from taking the Glenn Highway.

More than 45,000 people currently drive on the Glenn Highway. A bridge, the authority says, would knock that number down by about 10,000.

But for Valley residents who came out for the public hearing today, most of them seem concerned about the safety of the bridge.

“I wouldn't use it. I don't swim that well. I hate to be in the middle of that bridge during an earthquake,” said Wasilla resident Bill Ryder (above right).

But Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority executive director Henry Springer believes the proposed bridge would service the exploding future population of the Mat-Su Valley just as importantly as it would serve current residents.

“The projects show there will be an increase in population; the Mat-Su is the fastest growing part of the state over the years to come and the Glenn Highway is reaching capacity,” said Springer (right).

The bridge and toll authority said no Valley residences would be affected by the proposed bridge’s current plan. That could change, though, once a route is chosen.

According to the proposal, the bridge would be built with three lanes, but there are also expansion plans being developed that would widen the bridge to four lanes.

The bridge would be built in two phases. The first phase, which would construct three lanes, would cost $600 million under the proposed plan. Phase two would add an additional fourth lane, costing another $400 million.