New! In August of 2005, the Alaska State Department of Transportation announced that the proposed Juneau Road will no longer link Juneau with the continental road system. Instead, the State is pushing a revised plan to pave 50 miles of the Lynn Canal, stopping 18 miles short of the next town, Skagway. Travelers will then have to board a ferry to reach a continental road system. For hundreds of millions of dollars, the State of Alaska wants to “extend the dead end”.

Here are the reasons:

LACK OF LOCAL SUPPORT
The communities of Haines and Skagway in Upper Lynn Canal have consistently opposed the road, asking for improved ferry service. In the last referendum vote on the issue, Juneau residents voted AGAINST a road and FOR ferry service.

A LONG, DANGEROUS DRIVE
The Juneau Road would have a “very high” avalanche danger rating. The State estimates that avalanches will keep the road closed for at least one month out of every year. In addition to these dangers, drivers will also have to contend with icy freeze-thaw conditions typical in Southeast Alaska while navigating a winding roadway along steep cliffs.

Once a traveler arrives at the Katzehin terminal they may have to wait hours or even over night for the unreserved shuttle ferry. When wait times for ferries are included it will actually take longer to travel between Juneau and Haines under DOT’s proposed plan as compared with travel aboard the existing fast ferry.

In the over 30 years of operation, there have been no safety-related deaths on board Alaska’s ferry system.
Photo courtesy of Southeast Alaska Conservation Council
ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION

Almost a million visitors sail through the Inside Passage each year on cruise ships and on the Alaska Marine Highway to view the spectacular Tongass National Forest. The Lynn Canal, one of the world’s deepest fjords, is a perennial favorite. Instead of wilderness, visitors would view trucks and RVs lumbering along what one resident called “a horizontal strip mine.”

The road will put a ring of pavement around Berners Bay, a congressionally protected wild land treasured for its scenic value. Home to moose, bears, whales, beaver, salmon, sea lions, herring and bald eagles, Berners Bay is a unique national treasure.

The proposed road would come within half a mile of 88 bald eagle nests and skirt two major Steller sea lion haulouts. One of these sea lion “beaches,” the Gran Point haulout, has been designated as critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act.

WASTE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS
Despite a brand new $40 million ferry for the Lynn Canal, the road supporters want another $250 million (or more) of public money to build the Juneau Road. In the summer of 2005 Congress passed SAFETEA-LU, the pork-laden transportation bill highly criticized by the national media and taxpayer groups. The bill contained a $15 million set-aside for the Juneau Road. The rest of the project would be paid for with state and/or federal dollars.

According to the Department of Transportation, funding the Juneau Road could cause the delay or elimination of other transportation projects currently in the State’s budget.

The Department of Transportation has a poor record for accurately estimating the cost of similar mega-projects. The Whittier Tunnel actually cost $89 million, even though DOT officials originally estimated it would come in at $48 million. The department hasn’t even begun construction of the proposed Gravina Bridge in Ketchikan, and already that project has risen 37% to a whopping $315 million.

The State has argued that roads are cheaper to maintain than ferries. The latest DOT study, however, found that the Juneau Road will cost the state 45% more over a 30-year period than continuing with the current ferry service in the Lynn Canal when all of the costs are considered, including construction and refurbishment costs, operating costs, and revenues.

According to the Department of Transportation, building the road will not result in any significant economic development for Alaska. The only growth will be in the amount of Recreational Vehicles trying to squeeze into Juneau. DOT predicts the number of RVs in town could quadruple in the first year the road is completed.
courtesy: http://www.juneauroad.com/facts.html

VAIL, Colorado — Stretching 90 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 gives 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.

But for more than three decades, the fight over paving an actual highway alongside the canal has divided communities and left the future of the Lynn Canal in doubt.

On Friday, at 8 p.m., Costa Del Mar will debut its documentary film, “Blue Highway,” as part of the Outdoor Reels Series at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail. The movie begins as a film about a kayak trip, tracing John Muir’s historic travels in the Lynn Canal, but becomes a study of both sides of the battle over the proposed Juneau Access Road

To be held at the Lodge at Vail, the “Blue Highway” film premiere is a free event for Teva Mountain Games attendees, and all are invited to screen the movie that asks the questions, “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?”

“Blue Highway shows you both sides of the proposed Juneau road building issue, and asks the viewers to decide for themselves which side they’re on,” said Al Perkinson, vice president of marketing for Costa Del Mar. “The project is still in the planning stages, which means the Alaskan people have the opportunity to let their legislature and Governor Palin’s administration know how they want this issue to play out.

“And we have the chance to educate the rest of the country about an important issue that’s happening in one of the most pristine states in the Union .”

This is the first Outdoor Reels series at the Teva Mountain Games, which will also feature Telluride Mountainfilm Zero Emissions Tour and “Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk.”

The Blue Highway screening will be followed by the Fly Fishing Film Tour, featuring films by Felt Soul Media, Confluence Films and more. For a complete line up of films, visit www.tevamountaingames.com.

Following the Teva Mountain Games, Blue Highway will be available on DVD and for viewing online at www.costadelmar.com.
If you go …
What: Premier of documentary, “Blue Highway”
Where: Lodge at Vail
When: Friday 8 p.m.

Cost: Free

May 27th, 2009

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.

But for more than three decades, the fight over a proposed highway, a land-based road running alongside the Canal, has divided communities and left the future of the Lynn Canal in doubt.

On Friday, Jun. 5 at 8 p.m., Costa Del Mar® will debut its documentary film Blue Highway as part of the Outdoor Reels Series at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail. The movie 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

To be held at the Lodge at Vail, the Blue Highway film premiere is a free event for Teva Mountain Games attendees, and all are invited to screen the movie that asks the questions, “After more than three decades of debate, is there anything left to say? Can two sides separated by environmental, economic and cultural concerns ever come together?”

“Blue Highway shows you both sides of the proposed Juneau road building issue, and asks the viewers to decide for themselves which side they’re on,” said Al Perkinson, VP of Marketing for Costa Del Mar. “The project is still in the planning stages, which means the Alaskan people have the opportunity to let their legislature and Governor Palin’s administration know how they want this issue to play out. And we have the chance to educate the rest of the country about an important issue that’s happening in one of the most pristine states in the Union.”

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.

Now the state’s next action on the Juneau Access Project must be made by June 5. That’s the deadline by which the state must decide whether to appeal Sedwick’s decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Sedwick ruled that the Environmental Impact Statement for the 50.8-mile road up Lynn Canal to the Katzehin River must also consider ways to use existing ferries to improve service, along with the department’s preferred option of a road up the east side of Lynn Canal.

“Based on our review of the record, additional ferry service in Lynn Canal was considered and the court reached the wrong conclusion,” said Leo von Scheben, DOT&PF commissioner, in a recent press release. That release came after Sedwick made his original ruling, and then declined to reconsider it.

The plaintiffs in the case, including the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, were represented by Earthjustice, a non-profit environmental law firm.

Judge Sedwick reached the correct decision on the reconsideration, said Earthjustice attorney Kate Glover.

“He determined, rightly, that he’d already considered that argument and rejected the motion,” Glover said.

“At this point (the state) needs to decide whether they are appealing, are going to redo the EIS and take a look at ferry service, or just drop the project altogether,” she said.

A decision on whether to appeal is now being made, said Sean Lynch, assistant attorney general with the Alaska Department of Law. A supplemental EIS is also under consideration.

An appeal through the court process could mean a long delay for the project, and even longer if the appeal goes on to the U.S. Supreme Court. months to years

A supplemental EIS to take a look at improved ferry service in Lynn Canal could also take significant time to complete, Lynch said.

“It’s nothing that’s just slapped together,” he said. “There’s a public process involved.”

Gov. Palin last week issued a press release suggesting an appeal may not be in the works.

“Tying this issue up in court certainly doesn’t help this project move forward,” she said, adding that the project was still needed. “Improved access into Juneau will boost the future economy and increase jobs.”

Palin said she asked the law and transportation departments to “develop a plan to move forward where all of the facts relevant to the project can be considered without a cloud of litigation hanging over it.”

SEACC spokesman Mark Gnadt said he doubts an appeal would be successful.

“The judge’s decision was pretty decisive,” he said. “Maybe they’re thinking that the Ninth Circuit would be in their favor.”

“The ball’s in the governor’s court now,” he said.

When Palin became governor in late 2006 she canceled initial work begun on the project by former Gov. Frank Murkowski, and insisted that the project clear legal hurdles before moving forwards.

Sedwick, in February’s ruling, issued an injunction against the project that will prevent work from restarting.

Contact reporter Pat Forgey at 523-2250 or patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com

Stephen Mick, a filmmaker from Austin, Texas, set out to shoot an adventure video with the sunglass maker Costa Del Mar and wound up making a documentary about this story. Here, Mick answers some questions about “Blue Highway,” the finished documentary set to debut next Friday at the Teva Mountain Games.

What prompted you to put together a documentary about this issue?

The film was originally going to be more about a sea kayak adventure retracing the route of John Muir, who many consider to be the father of modern conservation. His “Travels In Alaska,” and our relationship with the Alaska Mountain Guides led us to choose the Lynn Canal as the piece of his adventure that we would try to re-create. The road issue was certainly something we were familiar with through AMG, but the original plan was for it to be a smaller segment in a larger adventure/fishing film.
As we got closer and closer to the start of our trip, the weather kept getting worse and worse. By the time we got to Juneau, a storm had formed that filled the Gulf of Alaska, but we decided that we’d give it a go anyway and take our chances. Once we got in the boats and reached Berners Bay, it was pretty clear we weren’t going any further. Five-foot seas in a sea kayak just weren’t our idea of a good time. So we loaded up and paddled back to Juneau. This was really when we decided that the road project was a bigger story that needed to be told, and we spent the rest of our time in Alaska trying to meet and talk to as many people as we could to help us tell that story.

In the pre-release information and from the trailer, it appears you go to great lengths to tell both sides of the story. Do you (and your sponsor Costa Del Mar) have a viewpoint on this or are you intent on letting the viewer draw his or her own conclusions?

As a filmmaker, I think it’s hard to keep your personal feelings out of any film. That said, we certainly tried hard to not only bring opinions from both sides of the issue to light, but to allow those on both sides to make the points they felt were important. The arguments on both sides have merit, and I don’t think it serves anyone to create a film that sits so obviously on one side of the fence. Now I have my opinion, and I think people would be surprised to find out what it is and why I believe it. But viewers should always be free to find their own point of view through a film like this. Most importantly, wherever people find themselves on the issue, I hope they’re moved enough to act on those feelings by voicing their support or opposition to the project directly to Alaska’s Governor.

Between this “Road to Nowhere,” the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” that surfaced in the last presidential race, and the Bristol Bay controversy, Alaska seems to be the national focal point of the conflict between the 20th century notion of progress and the 21st century ethic of preservation and sustainability. What is it about Alaska that draws people to both sides?

The great thing about Alaska is that’s it’s filled with natural beauty and seemingly endless wilderness. This has attracted sportsmen, adventurers and others who want to enjoy that beauty, and in some cases, protect it from any and all development. The great thing about Alaska is that it’s incredibly rich in valuable natural resources. This has always attracted those who are willing to invest their hard work and in some cases vast sums of money, to help remove whatever resources they can benefit from. Gold. Oil. Copper. The question becomes can we reconcile the motivations of both groups?

$400 million, the estimated cost of the project, seems like a lot to pay for a 51 mile road benefiting about 35,000 people–or about half the crowd at a pro football game. Are there valid economic arguments for doing so? Are there ways the money could be better spent?

The economics of life in Alaska’s “southeast” are difficult to say the least. Juneau and the other communities are so isolated, and travel between them is expensive and inconvenient. The ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway connect the communities, but the ferry system is costly to run. Each year the operating costs of the ferry system far outstrip the income, and new ferries can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. These costs fall mostly to the state to cover, a burden some feel could be lessened by building the road. Also, in today’s economy, the road itself could become an industry, with jobs created to build, maintain and repair the road. And when you factor in the idea (whether you believe it or not) that not building the road could result in the capital being moved out of Juneau, the economic issues become complex to say the least.
On the other hand, most of the money used to build the road would come from the federal government, specifically the near-bankrupt Federal Highway Trust Fund. So, even if you believe that the road will cost what some people say it will cost, there’s still the question of who pays for it. It’s not as simple as saying there’s other projects we could better spend the money on, because the money doesn’t really exist.

The debate over the road aside, can you share a little about experiencing the natural beauty of the Lynn Canal from a kayak?

To be honest, Alaska has more natural beauty than I think most people could even imagine. The Lynn Canal is definitely a piece of that beauty that many people get to enjoy from the water, whether in cruise ships, Alaska Marine Highway ferries or in sea kayaks like we were. But what really struck me wasn’t the beauty we found on the water, it was the complete wilderness and isolation we discovered on land and in the air. The terrain in and around Berners Bay is totally unspoiled, and two steps into the woods quickly take you a few notches down the food chain. From a float plane, it hardly seems real. Steep mountainsides that disappear into blue water. Forests in every shade of green. Lakes high above the Lynn Canal full of fish. Seeing the area from the water is spectacular, but I’d hope that anyone who visits the area takes the opportunity to get off the water and into the real wilderness that’s all around.

After talking to people with passionate views on both sides of the issue, do you believe there’s a middle ground?

I hope so. But I have to be realistic. The death of true debate around this issue seems to mirror a similar lack of interest in finding common ground our society faces on many issues. We have voices on either side of any debate arguing and shouting, urging the rest of us to choose sides rather than to come together to talk about our differences. The end result is polarization and paralysis. What people need to remember is that on any issue, there are always those who find themselves somewhere in between, and are willing to listen to logic and reason. Those are the people that need to be more involved in debates like this, and I hope “Blue Highway” brings at least some of them to the table so that their voices can be heard.