A lot has been going on in ASAH-world in the past week. Here’s a quick summary:
- Petition signatures were gathered at the Deltana Fair, July 21-23. Turnout was great and the overwhelming majority of booth visitors signed the petition. ASAH wants to send a big Thank You to Judy, Reb, Don, Dawn and Stephanie for doing the lion’s share of organizing for this event. Also a big shout-out to the Salcha Store, Delta Building Supply, Pizza Bella, the Delta Farmers’ Co-op, and the Diamond Willow Inn for offering places for the public to sign the petition. Petitions are also available in the lobby of the Columbo Building in Delta Junction. Hundreds of signatures have come in from Delta and Salcha residents who oppose this ore haul.
- Lois Parshley’s article was co-published by Grist and Alaska Public Media. KUAC carried the story July 26 on Alaska News Nightly. Lois (grist.org) is an investigative journalist and she worked with Sean McDermott (alaskapublic.org) for several months doing research and interviews for this article, Alaska is facing a massive mineral boom, but at what cost? Kinross refused all requests for interviews.
- The Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Corridor Study met all day on July 26 with Kinney Engineering for an update on phase one of the study. The two most important topics were (1) an analysis of the five bridges that are being fast-tracked for replacement and (2) the issue of school bus zones along the route.
- None of the bridges will be replaced before the haul is scheduled to begin next year. The heavy haulers will need to be diverted around the northbound lanes of the Chena Flood Plain bridge and the Chena Hot Springs overpass because these bridges cannot handle the 80-ton loads. The 95-foot trucks will need to cross oncoming traffic twice in order to divert around the Chena Flood Plain bridge. Computer models show that the large ore haulers can maneuver through the round-about on Chena Hot Springs Road, but it is an extremely tight fit. If field tests show they cannot safely make the turning radius of the round-about, they will need to use the bridge bypass system of lanes and mechanical traffic stops, 24/7/365.
- Forty percent of school bus stops have sight distance problems and recommendations include clearing brush back to the limit of the right-of-ways, adding more lighting, using high-friction surface treatments on roadways, and installing an alert system that would warn truck drivers of school busses that are out of their line of sight. All three school districts would need to budget for the alert system equipment.
- Maintenance and operations costs for 24/7/365 coverage of the rural section of the route after the ore haul begins were estimated at $9.5 million per year plus a one-time $3 million equipment purchase. These costs would be borne by the state alone.
- A recording of the meeting and copies of the slide presentations are on the DOT project website.
- A “Follow-up” TAC work session has been scheduled on August 3, 2023, from 1-4PM. Details of how to attend and agenda items can be found here.
- Former Governor Frank Murkowski’s opinion piece in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, Avoiding a Highway Disaster, discusses alternatives to the highway haul, especially a rail extension. The Alaska Railroad has a seat on the TAC and is represented by Mr. Brian Lindamood, Vice President and Chief Engineer. He attended yesterday’s TAC meeting and is aware of the issues. ASAH encourages the Alaska Railroad to seriously consider expanding freight lines to service future gold mines and allow ore hauls to avoid using our public highways.
- Barbara Schumann participated in a one-hour interview about the ore haul with Shane Brodie on KWRK 90.9FM which was broadcast over the weekend and again on July 26.
- ASAH will be at the Tanana Valley State Fair on Saturday, July 29 and again on August 5. Come see us in the Borealis Pavillion by the Blue Gate. Ask us questions! Sign the petition! Tell your friends and family to sign. If you aren’t coming to the fair, you can print the petition, sign and scan it and send it back to us at info@safealaskahighways.org. Or just email us and we’ll work out a way to pick them up.