Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee
Mat-Su Borough Assembly Chambers
Palmer, Alaska
Monday, April 14, 2003
On behalf of
Governor Murkowski and I welcome to Alaska!
Senator Murkowski (Chair) – welcome home! Thank you for taking your time to hear about Alaska’s
transportation infrastructure needs.
In Alaska, the
vast distances and rugged terrain mandate using multiple linked modes,
including marine, air, and land transportation systems. Alaska is the largest
state in the Union, comprising one-fifth of the total area of the contiguous
United States, yet is has only 13,628 miles of
roadways, less than the State of Vermont.
Only a few
communities in our State have the variety of travel modes common to most
communities in the nation. Nearly 90
percent of Alaska’s communities depend on aviation for year-round access. These non-roaded communities rely entirely
on aviation for food, groceries, health care supplies, mail and transport to
urban Alaska and elsewhere in our country.
We must
continue building and upgrading our entire transportation infrastructure,
including airports, marine highways, harbors, roads and railroad to provide
services to Alaskans and our visitors.
Improvements to transportation in Alaska should offer benefits including
access to resources, work opportunities, lower costs, safety and consolidation
of health and education services. These
improvements are vital to our economic growth and security.
It is difficult
to convey to those for whom Alaska is not home what it is like to rely on an
airplane for a medevac in a remote community.
My chief of staff has had the experience of waiting... and waiting...
while a helicopter transporting a patient receiving CPR flew the shoreline for
45 minutes in blowing snow because the pilot could not see anything else. If the weather had been a little worse, the
helicopter could not have made the trip.
A road in that region would provide additional access between those communities. When the phone lines go down because of high
winds, that reduces a remote community's options for delivery of health care -
because not only will the community likely be out of reach of advanced medical
advice, but the planes won't be flying either.
I was raised in
this beautiful state – and in my professional life before becoming Lieutenant
Governor practiced actively as a civil engineer. I have traveled extensively throughout Alaska and am quite
familiar with our transportation needs.
At its core,
our Administration’s primary mission is to build a robust, growing economy that
contributes to our nation’s security, food and resource needs. We want good job opportunities, so families
can care for their needs and our young people may stay in Alaska. To do so new and improved infrastructure is
needed across our State. This includes
the State acquiring historic transportation rights of way. This is something we have been actively
pursuing for years.
Access
improvements will bring many benefits to Alaskans, which most communities in
the 48 contiguous states take for granted.
Expanded access to and through Alaska’s communities, on a regional
basis, will make a difference in the quality of life of Alaskans by improving
access to health care and reducing the cost of living (groceries, power costs,
building supplies). The economies of
scale built through access will allow government investments in schools, bulk
fuel farms, health clinics, airports and harbors to serve multiple
communities.
In summary,
thank you for your interest in Alaska’s transportation needs. Governor Murkowski and I look forward to
working with you to resolve them. Thank
you for this opportunity to provide testimony and for taking your time to visit
Alaska. It is my hope your experiences
while here will help you understand the challenges Alaskans continue to face
daily.