Stretching ninety miles along Alaska’s Inside Passage, the Lynn Canal is North America’s deepest fjord. It’s waters were the lifeblood of the Klondike Gold Rush, and now offer a window into the wild that defines Alaska. The Lynn Canal also ties the people of Alaska’s “Southeast” together. It is their highway. (more…)
50-mile road designated a ‘mega-project’; cost estimate from highway agency at $491 million
By Pat Forgey | JUNEAU EMPIRE
New cost estimates boosting the Juneau Access Project to half a billion dollars has moved the road into the realm of “mega-projects,” a designation bringing with it new federal regulations.
A Federal Highway analysis of the 50.8 mile road up the east side of Lynn Canal is estimated to cost $491 million to complete, according to a Federal Highway Administration agency. So far $25 million has been spent. (more…)
Despite Alaska’s size, politics in the state almost always feels like small-town politics. When it comes to the debate over the proposed Lynn Canal road, some politicians always seem to be at the center of the argument.
In an exclusive interview from the upcoming film “Blue Highway,” State Senator Kim Elton discusses life in Alaska’s “southeast,” the fight over the proposed “Juneau Road,” and the changes it could bring to the region.
AIL, Colo. – May 26, 2009 – Stretching ninety miles along Alaska’s Inside Passage, the Lynn Canal is North America’s deepest fjord. Its waters were the lifeblood of the Klondike Gold Rush, and now offer visitors a window into the wild that defines Alaska. The Lynn Canal also ties the people of Alaska’s Southeast together. It is their highway. (more…)
Senate endorses Kensington Mine, but not Juneau Road
Story last updated at 4/17/2009 – 11:52 am
By PAT FORGEY | JUNEAU EMPIRE
JUNEAU – The Alaska Senate today decided not to endorse the controversial Juneau Road, but went ahead with an endorsement of the more widely supported Kensington Mine. Sen. Lisel McGuire, R-Anchorage, sponsored Senate Resolution 8, calling on Gov. Sarah Palin to ensure the many permits for the mine, owned by parent company Coeur D’Alene based in Idaho, remain active. (more…)
Federal judge’s decision to block project must be appealed by June 5
By Pat Forgey | JUNEAU EMPIRE
A federal judge handed advocates of the Juneau Road a big defeat in February when he overturned the project’s approval, and then a smaller defeat last month when he refused to reconsider that decision. State Department of Transportation and Public Facilities officials are maintaining that U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick misread the evidence and got the decision wrong, however. (more…)
Blue Highway begins as a film about a kayak trip tracing the historic Lynn Canal travels of John Muir, but becomes a study of both sides of the battle over the proposed Juneau access road. After more than three decades of debate, is there anything left to say, and can two sides separated by environmental, economic and cultural concerns ever come together? Read more