HR 7 am: Supporting the efforts of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to improve transportation to and from Juneau and supporting development of the East Lynn Canal Highway.
00 HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 7 am 01 Supporting the efforts of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to 02 improve transportation to and from Juneau and supporting development of the East 03 Lynn Canal Highway. 04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: 05 WHEREAS Juneau is the largest community on the North American continent not 06 connected to the continental highway system; and 07 WHEREAS, because of its location and lack of highway access, all freight, vehicle, 08 and passenger movement to and from Juneau is by air or sea; and 09 WHEREAS the Juneau Access Improvements Project is to provide improved 10 transportation to and from Juneau within the Lynn Canal corridor; and 11 WHEREAS the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities studied 12 multiple alternatives, including increased ferry service, to fulfill the National Environmental 13 Policy Act requirements; and 14 WHEREAS the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and the 15 Federal Highway Administration issued a draft environmental impact statement for the Juneau
01 Access Improvement Project in June 1997; and 02 WHEREAS, following review and consideration of the public and agency comments 03 received on the draft environmental impact statement, Governor Tony Knowles announced in 04 2000 that Alternative 2, the East Lynn Canal Highway with Katzehin Terminal, was the 05 preferred alternative for the proposed project; and 06 WHEREAS the East Lynn Canal Highway would provide the greatest increase in 07 flexibility and opportunity for travel; and 08 WHEREAS the East Lynn Canal Highway would have the lowest maintenance and 09 operating cost of all alternatives; and 10 WHEREAS the East Lynn Canal Highway would have the lowest out-of-pocket cost 11 for travelers of all project alternatives; and 12 WHEREAS the East Lynn Canal Highway would eliminate 200 miles from the 13 Alaska marine highway route, allowing ferries to be utilized on other routes in Southeast 14 Alaska; and 15 WHEREAS the East Lynn Canal Highway would allow access to the Kensington 16 Mine; and 17 WHEREAS the East Lynn Canal Highway would provide an alternative to the all- 18 marine transport of goods into Juneau; and 19 WHEREAS the East Lynn Canal Highway would provide Juneau with an emergency 20 evacuation alternative; and 21 WHEREAS the East Lynn Canal Highway would open up an entire region to 22 recreation and tourism, which would result in economic development of benefit to all 23 Alaskans; 24 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska House of Representatives supports the 25 Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' efforts to improve transportation to and 26 from Juneau within Lynn Canal; and 27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska House of Representatives supports 28 the Juneau Access Preferred Alternative 2, the East Lynn Canal Highway with Katzehin 29 Terminal. 30 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the 31 Honorable Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S.
01 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress; the Honorable Frank H. 02 Murkowski, Governor of Alaska; the Honorable Mike Barton, Commissioner, Department of 03 Transportation and Public Facilities; and Reuben Yost, Department of Transportation and 04 Public Facilities.