00HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 10                                                                                      
01 Supporting construction of the east Lynn Canal highway.                                                                 
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03  WHEREAS there is a need to improve surface transportation to Juneau because the                                        
04 state ferries can accommodate only one-seventh of the people wanting to travel to or from                               
05 Juneau, and improved access to Juneau will improve the quality of life for most residents of                            
06 the Lynn Canal area; and                                                                                                
07  WHEREAS the current surface transportation bottleneck in the Lynn Canal area                                           
08 affects local, regional, interstate, and international movement of people, goods, and services;                         
09 and                                                                                                                     
10  WHEREAS proposals to improve surface access to Juneau have been studied for more                                       
11 than 70 years; and                                                                                                      
12  WHEREAS the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is again evaluating                                     
13 ways to improve surface transportation between Juneau and Haines, Skagway, and the rest of                              
14 Alaska and North America; and                                                                                           

01  WHEREAS a land highway is the most efficient way to increase the options and                                           
02 opportunity for travel to and from Juneau and to reduce the time and cost of travel to and                              
03 from Juneau; and                                                                                                        
04  WHEREAS the construction of 65 miles of land highway on the east shore of Lynn                                         
05 Canal is technically feasible, economically justified, and fundable and faces no insurmountable                         
06 environmental obstacles; and                                                                                            
07  WHEREAS the construction, operation, and maintenance of a land highway along the                                       
08 east shore of Lynn Canal to connect Juneau with Skagway and Haines would complement the                                 
09 transportation services provided in Southeast Alaska by the Alaska marine highway system                                
10 and would allow a mainline ferry vessel of the Alaska marine highway system to provide                                  
11 additional transportation services to other areas of Southeast Alaska that do not have the                              
12 option of surface road transportation to other communities; and                                                         
13  WHEREAS the proposed east Lynn Canal highway would lower the cost-of-living for                                        
14 residents of Haines and Skagway; and                                                                                    
15  WHEREAS the proposed east Lynn Canal highway would be a very scenic highway                                            
16 and would provide access to new recreation areas for Alaskans; and                                                      
17  WHEREAS the proposed east Lynn Canal highway would provide over $40,000,000                                            
18 in economic benefits to the mining interests in the Lynn Canal area; and                                                
19  WHEREAS more than 75 percent of the residents of Juneau believe that improved                                          
20 access is important to their community while only 3 percent of the residents of Juneau,                                 
21 Haines, and Skagway believe that there are no transportation needs; and                                                 
22  WHEREAS there is an opportunity for unique funding to construct the east Lynn                                          
23 Canal highway that would not affect the funding for other projects in Alaska;                                           
24  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports construction of the east                                     
25 Lynn Canal highway at the earliest possible date.