Legislature(2001 - 2002)
03/05/2002 01:37 PM Senate TRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SJR 41-PAVING ALASKA HIGHWAY
SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS, representing Senate District L, had
received a call a few weeks earlier asking for the introduction
of this resolution for continuation in the Yukon of the Shakwak
Project. SJR 41 requests the U.S. Congress to continue the
funding to complete this segment of the Shakwak Project.
MR. SCOTT KENT, Minister of Infrastructure, Yukon Government,
said his job includes responsibility for the highways. He asked
them to introduce this resolution designed to allocate the
remainder of funds necessary to complete the Shakwak Project also
known as the North Alaska Highway Project. The project goes from
the Canada-Alaska border on the Haines Road to the Yukon-Alaska
border on the Alaska Highway. The project covers 322 miles and
began in 1977 through a joint United States and Canada agreement.
MR. KENT explained the original project called for a paved all
weather road from Haines, Alaska up through Haines Junction and
on to the Alaska border at Beaver Creek. All that remains, after
st
the current Transportation Equity Act for the 21 Century (TEA
21) of $85 million has been expended, will be approximately 18
miles along the shores of the Kluane Lake-Sheep Mountain area as
well as the replacement of four major bridges. The total cost
for the balance of highway construction and bridge replacement is
expected to be in the neighborhood of $45 million. They asked
the legislature to pass this resolution requesting Congress to
administer those funds.
The original proposal called for the highway to be paved. They
have a BST surface on it now and paving would require additional
expenditures in the amount of $160 million. That would be a
future appropriation or a future Transportation Equity Act.
MR. KENT said traffic on the North Alaska Highway north of Haines
Junction is approximately 85% U.S. traffic. It is a very
important corridor for tourism, commercial truck traffic and will
be a very important highway to support the construction of an
Alaska Highway natural gas pipeline.
He said if the U.S. Government appropriated the remainder of
funds they can reach substantial completion by 2006 on the 18
miles of road and the bridgework can be completed by 2008. There
is a possibility of accelerating the project if they were to
receive a positive announcement on the gas pipeline in the
meantime.
SENATOR WARD asked if this was appropriate to put comments in the
resolution concerning a future Alaska natural gas line.
SENATOR PHILLIPS thought that was being taken care of in other
pieces of legislation. He asked if Senator Ward meant in
conjunction.
SENATOR WARD said as one of the whereas clauses.
SENATOR PHILLIPS said he would not mind if the committee did not
mind.
SENATOR WARD said he did not want to slow the resolution up. He
hadn't thought about it until Mr. Kent mentioned it.
SENATOR PHILLIPS said BST stands for Bituminous Surface
Treatments known as poor man's asphalt.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY said that is not done with a lay down machine.
That is an emulsion that is mixed with the material that is there
and then possibly rolled.
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SENATOR PHILLIPS said it is about 1/10 the cost of regular
asphalt.
MR. KENT said it allows the highway to settle and if they decide
to go ahead the asphalt paving can be done over the top of the
BST.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked if all but one stretch of the highway was
going to be completed.
MR. KENT said after the current appropriation is exhausted in
2003 all but 18 miles and the four bridge replacements will be
taken care of.
SENATOR WILKEN thanked Mr. Kent for being there. He appreciated
Senator Phillips bringing the resolution forward and was fully
supportive.
SENATOR WILKEN said the people of Fairbanks benefit by having
that road improved every year. They have a commercial semi truck
that runs between Beaverton, Oregon and Fairbanks on a round
robin bringing bread products to Fairbanks. It is cheaper
bringing it that way than bringing it by sea with Sealand. That
road being improved made it possible for those truckers to make
that trip quicker and with less maintenance.
He thought that was a wonderful stretch of road, which helped the
people of Fairbanks and Yukon because it is a gorgeous drive. He
was fully supportive of this resolution and hoped they would move
it through the legislature and on to the U.S. Congress.
SENATOR ELTON thanked Mr. Kent. He said the connection they have
in Southeast Alaska to the Yukon Territory and points further
north in Alaska are very important to Southeast Alaska. He was
supportive of the resolution.
SENATOR ELTON thanked him on behalf of Juneau. Whitehorse is a
sister city and when he was on the Juneau Assembly in the late
1980's they actually stole the BST technology from the Yukon.
They have used it extensively in Juneau as a low cost way of
reducing dust and mud.
SENATOR TAYLOR said one important aspect of the last series of
Shakwak funding by the federal government should be noted on the
record.
Is that one condition of that funding has always been
that the - that when those contracts were placed for
bid those contracts could be bid upon by any company
either Canadian or American. And that it's my
understanding that the Canadian companies were
successful in achieving and underbidding on those
things and did actually get the work, which I'm happy
about because we got more road for fewer dollars. But
I think it is essential that we note that that probably
will continue to be a condition and do you have any
problem with that?
MR. KENT said no, certainly not at all. They had just finished
the first tender for this year's Shakwak project. The contract
had not been awarded but the bids were in and a number of bids
were from companies not only from the Yukon but from British
Columbia and Alberta. No bids were received from Alaskan
companies but any of the terms and conditions applied to the
tendering process could be carried on into the next appropriation
as well.
SENATOR TAYLOR thought a very healthy aspect of the funding
mechanism was that no one was precluded from bidding. It clearly
demonstrated a wonderful working relationship between two foreign
nations who can reach hands across the border and be able to
accomplish a project that both desperately want to have done and
do it without the parochialism of local squabbling over who gets
the work and how the work gets done. He felt that said a great
deal about the people of Yukon and Canada in general. He wanted
that point on the record.
MR. KENT thought this was a great example of cooperation between
their two jurisdictions and their two nations on a project that
not only benefits Alaskans but benefits Canadians as well.
MR. KENT said the Yukon and Canadian Governments have been doing
their share on the south of Haines Junction portion of the road
with upgrades. This year they are going to continue the upgrades
around the Champaign area by taking the corners out and
straightening and widening it as they carry on towards Haines
Junction and they will continue to do so.
SENATOR WILKEN moved to report SJR 41 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note. There
being no objection the motion carried.
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