Should we build a bridge across Knik Arm?

The State of Alaska currently is proposing to spend hundreds of millions of tax dollars on mega-projects like the Knik Arm Bridge in Anchorage, the Gravina Bridge in Ketchikan, the Juneau Road in Southeast, and the Bradfield Canal Road near Wrangell. To make room in the budget for these controversial projects, long- awaited repairs and upgrades to our existing roadways and replacement vessels for our aging ferry system will be delayed or cancelled.

Background

In the draft transportation budget for the next three years, also known as the Statewide Transportation Improvements Program or STIP, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT) outlines which roads it will repave, upgrade, or construct, and which ferries it will repair or replace. In the draft STIP released this fall, the State proposes to spend $600 million on the Knik Arm Bridge, $299 million on the Gravina Bridge, and $178 million on the Juneau Road in the next two years alone. Due in large part to these astronomical expenditures, long-awaited projects in nearly every community and along highways will be delayed or cancelled. For details see this list (PDF format, 76K) from the Alaska Transportation Priorities Project.

The state legislature, which convened on January 9, 2006, decides how much money to appropriate to the DOT for transportation projects listed in the STIP. Legislative hearings on transportation issues began with presentations and public testimony at a House Transportation Committee hearing on January 10, 2006.

Helpful Links

• Talking points (MS Word doc, 143K)
• DOT's latest proposal, the Draft FY2006-08 STIP, on DOT's web site
• The previous budget, the FY2004-08 STIP amendment #8 (PDF, on DOT's web site)
• Audio archives of legislative committee hearings At KTOO.org

1. Inform state legislators of your position
2. Write a Letter to the Editor
3. Speak on a radio talk show
4. Stay informed (sign-up for ongoing information)

Unlike the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, where testimony is by invitation only, the Alaska state legislature welcomes public testimony at most hearings. Generally, public testimony is short Ð just a few minutes long. In your testimony, you should say who you are and where you live, whom you represent if you represent an organization, why the issue is important to you, explain your point using an example(s), and state what the legislature should do. You can testify at state Legislative Information Offices (LIOs), which are in most sizable communities throughout the state.

To find out about upcoming hearings, check the committee schedule when you can. The committee schedule will let you know if a committee hearing is teleconferenced, allowing you to go to the LIO to testify. The committee schedule also will have a link if there is a particular bill that will be discussed.

You can listen to hearings online as they occur.

To write your state legislators, go to http://www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov/elections/distcom.htm to find their contact information. There is a sample letter here. Copy this letter to key legislators. See a list of key legislators here.

You can also encourage your city, tribe, community council or organization to pass a resolution or write a letter urging the State to "Fix it First!" For ideas see the letter signed by the mayors of Anchorage, the Mat-Su Borough, and the Kenai Peninsula Borough, or contact Emily Ferry at the Alaska Transportation Priorities Project. Her email is: emily@aktransportation.org

"Letters to the Editor" is one of the most widely-read sections of your local newspaper. Decision-makers and elected officials often read the LTE sections of local papers to gauge their constituents' opinions on a wide variety of issues. Since Knik Arm Bridge funding will impact other transportation projects around the state, it's important for communities around the state to express their opinions on this project.

Tips for Effective Letter-Writing:

• Be as clear and concise as possible
• Always include your name, address, and phone number. The newspaper will verify that you wrote the letter before publishing it.
• Use local statistics in your letter and let the readers know how the issue impacts them and their quality of life.
• If your letter doesn't get printed, don't get discouraged and don't give up. You can tweak the letter and re-submit it.

Click here to open a comprehensive list of Alaska publications, from the Anchorage Daily News to the Wrangell Sentinel, with email and postal addresses, phone and fax numbers and guideline information from the publishers. The list will open in a new window.

Radio talk shows are a good way to get your position out to the local public. The following are some locally-based radio talk shows:

Sign up here to receive announcements on Knik Arm bridge-related activities and events including state and federal decisions (e.g., Alaska DOT and the Federal Highway Administration which is developing the bridge's Environmental Impact Statement), public comment opportunities, upcoming legislative hearings, local meetings where the bridge or funding trade-offs will be discussed, etc.