03/21/2013 01:30 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION

            SB 13-KNIK ARM BRIDGE AND TOLL AUTHORITY                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:03:43 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR EGAN  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
SB 13.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR CHARLIE HUGGINS,  sponsor of SB 13,  introduced the bill.                                                               
He  noted that  the  MatSu has  over 50  percent  of the  highway                                                               
safety corridors  in the state  that have safety problems  due to                                                               
congested traffic that  starts at 4:00 a.m. when  an avalanche of                                                               
vehicles  heads  for  Anchorage.  The  infrastructure  in  SB  13                                                               
provides  an avenue  to  start impacting  some  of those  highway                                                               
safety  corridors.  He  said  that   when  tourists  arrive  that                                                               
increases the traffic  headed up to Denali  through these highway                                                               
safety corridors.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
He  said if  you live  in Anchorage  right now,  big trucks  haul                                                               
things from  the Port of  Anchorage and with  this infrastructure                                                               
in place they will not have to drive through Anchorage.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR EGAN opened public testimony.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
TOM  BRICE,   Lobbyist,  Alaska   District  Council   of  Labors,                                                               
testified in support of SB 13.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:09:14 PM                                                                                                                    
PAUL GROSSI,  Lobbyist, Ironworkers  Union, testified  in support                                                               
of SB  13. He  said building  the bridge  would promote  jobs and                                                               
lead to more development. He related  a story about how one their                                                               
business manager  who lives  in Wasilla got  caught in  an eight-                                                               
hour traffic jam.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON  said the  eight-hour traffic jam  was caused  by a                                                               
fugitive the  police were chasing. He  ran over a tack  strap the                                                               
Troopers put  out and set  his car on fire  in one set  of lanes;                                                               
then got in a gun fight and went  over in the other two lanes and                                                               
died, so  all four lanes  - some  40,000 vehicles -  were plugged                                                               
for eight and  a half hours. There was  significant economic loss                                                               
and a  whole bunch of very  human issues including a  shortage of                                                               
toilet paper. It shows in the  exception how much having only one                                                               
route out  of town can  be a real problem.  It's one of  the many                                                               
reasons they support this project.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:11:46 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR FRENCH asked if the administration supported the bill.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
JODY  SIMPSON, staff,  Senator Charlie  Huggins, said  she didn't                                                               
know if the administration supports the bill.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DYSON  noted  that  the  administration  had  been  very                                                               
enthusiastic about  the whole process  and was  disappointed when                                                               
funding didn't go through last year.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. SIMPSON  added that the  governor's budget has a  $10 million                                                               
item in it for this project.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON  SENATOR moved  to report SB  13 from  committee to                                                               
the next  committee of  referral with  individual recommendations                                                               
and attached  fiscal note. There  being no objection,  the motion                                                               
carried.