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Major Projects

KABATA, the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority, was created in 2003 by Alaska Statute 19.75.011 to construct a bridge across Knik Arm connecting the Municipality of Anchorage and the Mat-Su Borough. KABATA has received preliminary planning funds through Congressional appropriation. Future project funds are anticipated through federal, state and local grants, and public and private sector investment. As a public corporation, KABATA is empowered by the state to sell revenue bonds and establish user fees to fund and operate the project.

Working with the Federal Highway Administration as lead agency, KABATA will build on planning activities conducted in 2004 to complete the environmental (NEPA), regulatory and design processes necessary to construct the Knik Arm Crossing Project.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has prepared a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for Juneau Access Improvements. The purpose of this project is to improve surface transportation to and from Juneau within the Lynn Canal corridor. The supplemental DEIS was approved by FHWA on January 11, 2005 and is being distributed to government agencies, as well as organizations and individuals on the project mailing list.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), investigated alternatives for improving access between Revillagigedo Island and Gravina Island in Southeast Alaska. This project, called the Gravina Access Project, is one of 17 high priority projects funded in the state under the Federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Revillagigedo Island is home of Ketchikan, Saxman, and other communities, and Gravina Island is the location of the Ketchikan International Airport and adjoining lands that offer recreational and development potential. Currently, a small ferry across Tongass Narrows provides the only regular access to Gravina Island and it delivers passengers directly to the airport. Access to the remainder of the island is available primarily by independent watercraft. Improved transportation access to Gravina Island would provide better service to the airport and allow for development of the large tracts of land situated on the island.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), in partnership with the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to determine the location and conceptual design of a second Gastineau Channel crossing connecting mainland Juneau with Douglas Island.

The purpose of the EIS is to assess the impacts of different crossing alternatives (to the Mendenhall Wildlife Refuge, residential areas, and channel navigation, for example), identify ways to avoid and minimize the impacts, and recommend a preferred alternative - the "best solution" for FHWA approval.