04/14/2011 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION

          SB 108-SPC. STEPHEN "MAX" CAVANAUGH OVERPASS                                                                      
                                                                                                                              
1:19:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
VICE  CHAIR PRUITT  announced  that the  next  order of  business                                                               
would be  SENATE BILL NO.  108, "An  Act naming the  Dowling Road                                                               
Overpass at  milepost 123.7  on the New  Seward Highway  the Spc.                                                               
Stephen "Max" Cavanaugh, Jr., Memorial Overpass."                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:19:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR LESIL  MCGUIRE, Alaska State Legislature,  stated that SB
 would  name the  Dowling Road overpass  at milepost  123.7 on                                                               
the  new Seward  Highway  after Specialist  (Spc.) Stephen  "Max"                                                               
Cavanaugh Jr.   This bill  would commemorate his life,  she said.                                                               
Spc.  Max Cavanaugh,  Jr.  was  an Alaskan  serving  in the  Fort                                                               
Richardson's Warrior  Transition Unit.  He  had recently returned                                                               
from  Iraq after  surviving 300  convoys  where he  manned a  .50                                                               
caliber machine  gun.   In Iraq, Max  suffered a  minor traumatic                                                               
brain injury,  which she brought  up to remind  committee members                                                               
that  many of  our heroes  return  from Iraq  with head  injuries                                                               
sustained  from shrapnel.   However,  Max had  rehabilitated from                                                               
his injury and  had resumed his life  in Alaska.  At  the time of                                                               
his fatal  crash, he was  driving on Seward Highway  near Dowling                                                               
Overpass  in an  area  frequently known  as  a "moose  corridor."                                                               
Unfortunately, his vehicle struck a  moose and Mr. Cavanaugh lost                                                               
his life.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:22:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MCGUIRE explained that Mr.  Cavanaugh was an organ donor.                                                               
Thus, he went on to save  many other lives through his tissue and                                                               
organ donations.   This was the sixth human life  lost to a moose                                                               
collision in  the state in 2007.   She stated that  a project has                                                               
begun to help  increase safety in the corridor.   This effort was                                                               
assisted by the Department of  Transportation & Public Facilities                                                               
(DOT&PF),   the  Alaska   Highway  Safety   Office,  the   SAGA's                                                               
AmeriCorps program,  the Department  of Public Safety  (DPS), and                                                               
the Alaska Department  of Fish & Game (ADF&G).   The project area                                                               
included the west  side of the New Seward  Highway between Dimond                                                               
and  O'Malley Road.   She  described the  work area  as the  area                                                               
between  the bike  trail and  highway  right-of-way. She  related                                                               
that  volunteers worked  for four  days in  October 2008  to cut,                                                               
haul, and  chip 11 dumpsters  full of willow,  cottonwood, birch,                                                               
and aspen  trees.  She  pointed out  that these trees  and plants                                                               
such as lavender are  food that moose love to eat.   In fact, the                                                               
trees and plants become an  attractive nuisance.  She highlighted                                                               
that moose  will even cross highways  to forage on the  browse in                                                               
medians.   This bill would  commemorate the overpass  at milepost                                                               
123.7 on the  New Seward Highway in Max's honor  by naming it the                                                               
"Spc. Stephen "Max" Cavanaugh, Jr. Memorial Overpass."                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
VICE CHAIR PRUITT, after first  determining no one else wished to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on SB 108.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:23:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG moved to report  SB 108 out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
note.  There being  no objection,  SB 108  was reported  from the                                                               
House Transportation Standing Committee.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ commented that  she believes Mr. Cavanaugh's                                                               
tragic  death   has  raised  awareness   of  a   serious  problem                                                               
throughout  Alaska.   She  pointed  out  that this  committee  is                                                               
working   with  the   Department  of   Transportation  &   Public                                                               
Facilities  (DOT&PF)  to  find  ways  to  resolve  the  issue  of                                                               
motorist crashes  with moose.   She said she  appreciated Senator                                                               
McGuire bringing this bill forward.