The proposed FY 2017 budget proposal contains drastic cuts across the board including DOT. As a result DOT informs that at the proposed funding levels they would permanently close 6 DOT stations including the Chitina camp. The employees will be terminated and the equipment sold. That means another camp (Tazlina) will have to pick up an extra 120 miles of road and two airports on top of their own current work load.
The result would be very poor and sporadic service for the Edgerton and McCarthy road, at best. At worst, those roads would get no maintenance at all.
We strongly urge the reinstatement of funding sufficient to retain the Chitina DOT station.
Who is Affected
We all understand the harsh realities of the current fiscal environment and realize that reductions in spending will have to be made.
It's easy to think that the McCarthy Road serves only a handful of year-round residents and that money spent on that road could serve the interests of a greater number of people elsewhere.
But this is no Road to Nowhere. The Edgerton and McCarthy Roads serve the needs of thousands of Alaskans and visiting tourists every year.
Edgerton Highway
The Copper River at Chitina is one of the few spots in the state for subsistence dip netting of Alaskan salmon. Hundreds of Alaskans travel the Edgerton every summer to put fish in their freezer. The Edgerton, especially close to Chitina, is prone to frost heaving and with a drop in maintenance or total neglect, this stretch of road could quickly become very hazardous.
McCarthy Road
The McCarthy Road is the only corridor into the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park - the largest in the national park system. Every summer thousands of tourists travel the road to visit McCarthy and Kennicott where they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars that supports dozens of local businesses such as hotels, B&Bs, guide services, air taxi and flightsee providers and other tourism related enterprises.
If maintenance on the McCarthy Road declines or is dropped completely then the road will rapidly decline to the point where it is borderline untraversable and tourism in the area, which has been on the rise, will surely go into a decline as word spreads online that the McCarthy Road is a horror show.
Last summer saw reduced maintenance and heavy rains later in the summer. In a matter of 3-4 weeks the road deteriorated to such an extent that it reminded many long-time residents of the road before DOT did any maintenance at all.
Over the last several years the state has done extensive work on the road, straightening winding sections, widening blind curves on dangerous bluffs and clearing brush along the side of the road to improve sight-lines. Two summers ago the first 17 miles were chip sealed up to the Kuskulana bridge. All of this work has made the McCarthy road safer.
To walk away from that investment of time, energy and money would be irresponsible. If the chip sealed section is not maintained it will become more hazardous then if it had been left as gravel.
DOT has stated that summer maintenance is covered by federal funds and so will not be impacted. This is misleading as those federal funds cover hole patching which does little for the McCarthy Road. It's not just a matter of funding but of workload. It doesn't matter who is paying for it if the DOT station doesn't have the men, time and equipment to do the work. If service will decrease as a result of the closure what does that mean if the McCarthy Road only got graded twice last summer?
Let's Move Forward, Not Backwards
It is clear that the financial future of our state is not in resource extraction alone and we must find new sources of revenue. We urge the legislature to acknowledge the importance of this vital corridor and the role it plays in the tourism that is a vital element of the Alaskan economy and is destined to be more so in the future.
Now is the time to invest in the qualities of Alaska that will endure when the oil and gas have run out - the hunting, fishing, hiking, boating and other ways that Alaskans and visitors alike enjoy this great land.
The state needs to support and invest in the tourism industry not abandon it.
The men at the Chitina DOT station have worked very hard to keep these roads serviceable and safe and the people who live here and travel these roads owe them a debt of gratitude. And they deserve the state's support as well.
We strongly urge the reinstatement of funding sufficient to retain the Chitina DOT station.
Thank you for your consideration.
Updates
January 22, 2016
The stories shared in the comments illustrate clearly how vital the Chitina station remains for those who travel the Edgerton and McCarthy roads. Maintaining these connections is a matter of safety and accessibility for our entire region. Ongoing discussions are focused on ensuring that the impact of these potential cuts is fully understood by those in charge.
January 22, 2016
Reaching this level of participation confirms that the significance of our local roads extends far beyond our own community. This momentum creates a foundation that will be necessary as we present our concerns to the department.
Reached 100 supporters
January 22, 2016
74 Comments
I travel to McCarthy multiple times a year for recreation and bringing tourists as a guide. I fish in Chitina. It is a true gem and money maker for me and many others I know. It would hurt the tourism industry if you closed the dot station and Alaskans. Please keep it open.
I depend on the McCarthy road. I live and work in McCarthy. I also volunteer at the McCarthy Museum and our lively hood there depends up on tourists. My granddaughters work summers in McCarthy to pay their way through college. Please keep our road maintained and the Chitna DOT station open. Thank you.
The McCarthy Road provides critical access to a remote community which increasingly attracts winter visitors. How can Alaska consider constructing new access roads to other remote locations when it cannot even maintain those it already has? Fund the Chitina DOT station and maintain this road!
I know how awful the Edgerton can be. The Chitina DOT station needs to stay open! We missed school a few times because of the roads and the bus not being able to safely transport. How much school will those kids miss if the road isn't maintained!?
We need our roads cleared in a timely manner so school buses can make the daily commute and emergency workers (EMS & Firefighters) can respond as needed. We need Chitina DOT
Please save the DOT support for the McCarthy Rd. I will be traveling their this summer on vacation for the first time so roads should be maintained for us tourists that do visit every year and do want to come back time after time.
Please save the DOT support for the McCarthy Rd. We use it to access great areas in our state.
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The proposed FY 2017 budget proposal contains drastic cuts across the board including DOT. As a result DOT informs that at the proposed funding levels they would permanently close 6 DOT stations including the Chitina camp. The employees will be terminated and the equipment sold. That means another camp (Tazlina) will have to pick up an extra 120 miles of road and two airports on top of their own current work load.
The result would be very poor and sporadic service for the Edgerton and McCarthy road, at best. At worst, those roads would get no maintenance at all.
We strongly urge the reinstatement of funding sufficient to retain the Chitina DOT station.
Who is Affected
We all understand the harsh realities of the current fiscal environment and realize that reductions in spending will have to be made.
It's easy to think that the McCarthy Road serves only a handful of year-round residents and that money spent on that road could serve the interests of a greater number of people elsewhere.
But this is no Road to Nowhere. The Edgerton and McCarthy Roads serve the needs of thousands of Alaskans and visiting tourists every year.
Edgerton Highway
The Copper River at Chitina is one of the few spots in the state for subsistence dip netting of Alaskan salmon. Hundreds of Alaskans travel the Edgerton every summer to put fish in their freezer. The Edgerton, especially close to Chitina, is prone to frost heaving and with a drop in maintenance or total neglect, this stretch of road could quickly become very hazardous.
McCarthy Road
The McCarthy Road is the only corridor into the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park - the largest in the national park system. Every summer thousands of tourists travel the road to visit McCarthy and Kennicott where they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars that supports dozens of local businesses such as hotels, B&Bs, guide services, air taxi and flightsee providers and other tourism related enterprises.
If maintenance on the McCarthy Road declines or is dropped completely then the road will rapidly decline to the point where it is borderline untraversable and tourism in the area, which has been on the rise, will surely go into a decline as word spreads online that the McCarthy Road is a horror show.
Last summer saw reduced maintenance and heavy rains later in the summer. In a matter of 3-4 weeks the road deteriorated to such an extent that it reminded many long-time residents of the road before DOT did any maintenance at all.
Over the last several years the state has done extensive work on the road, straightening winding sections, widening blind curves on dangerous bluffs and clearing brush along the side of the road to improve sight-lines. Two summers ago the first 17 miles were chip sealed up to the Kuskulana bridge. All of this work has made the McCarthy road safer.
To walk away from that investment of time, energy and money would be irresponsible. If the chip sealed section is not maintained it will become more hazardous then if it had been left as gravel.
DOT has stated that summer maintenance is covered by federal funds and so will not be impacted. This is misleading as those federal funds cover hole patching which does little for the McCarthy Road. It's not just a matter of funding but of workload. It doesn't matter who is paying for it if the DOT station doesn't have the men, time and equipment to do the work. If service will decrease as a result of the closure what does that mean if the McCarthy Road only got graded twice last summer?
Let's Move Forward, Not Backwards
It is clear that the financial future of our state is not in resource extraction alone and we must find new sources of revenue. We urge the legislature to acknowledge the importance of this vital corridor and the role it plays in the tourism that is a vital element of the Alaskan economy and is destined to be more so in the future.
Now is the time to invest in the qualities of Alaska that will endure when the oil and gas have run out - the hunting, fishing, hiking, boating and other ways that Alaskans and visitors alike enjoy this great land.
The state needs to support and invest in the tourism industry not abandon it.
The men at the Chitina DOT station have worked very hard to keep these roads serviceable and safe and the people who live here and travel these roads owe them a debt of gratitude. And they deserve the state's support as well.
We strongly urge the reinstatement of funding sufficient to retain the Chitina DOT station.
Thank you for your consideration.
Updates
January 22, 2016
The stories shared in the comments illustrate clearly how vital the Chitina station remains for those who travel the Edgerton and McCarthy roads. Maintaining these connections is a matter of safety and accessibility for our entire region. Ongoing discussions are focused on ensuring that the impact of these potential cuts is fully understood by those in charge.
January 22, 2016
Reaching this level of participation confirms that the significance of our local roads extends far beyond our own community. This momentum creates a foundation that will be necessary as we present our concerns to the department.
Reached 100 supporters
January 22, 2016
74 Comments
I commute to Kennicott from Longlake 5 months out of the year for work last 8 years. My truck and sanity rely on DOT grading the road. I appreciate all their efforts on keeping the road safe. Thanks!
I travel to McCarthy multiple times a year for recreation and bringing tourists as a guide. I fish in Chitina. It is a true gem and money maker for me and many others I know. It would hurt the tourism industry if you closed the dot station and Alaskans. Please keep it open.
I depend on the McCarthy road. I live and work in McCarthy. I also volunteer at the McCarthy Museum and our lively hood there depends up on tourists. My granddaughters work summers in McCarthy to pay their way through college. Please keep our road maintained and the Chitna DOT station open. Thank you.
The McCarthy Road provides critical access to a remote community which increasingly attracts winter visitors. How can Alaska consider constructing new access roads to other remote locations when it cannot even maintain those it already has? Fund the Chitina DOT station and maintain this road!
I know how awful the Edgerton can be. The Chitina DOT station needs to stay open! We missed school a few times because of the roads and the bus not being able to safely transport. How much school will those kids miss if the road isn't maintained!?
We need our roads cleared in a timely manner so school buses can make the daily commute and emergency workers (EMS & Firefighters) can respond as needed. We need Chitina DOT
Please save the DOT support for the McCarthy Rd. I will be traveling their this summer on vacation for the first time so roads should be maintained for us tourists that do visit every year and do want to come back time after time.
Please save the DOT support for the McCarthy Rd. We use it to access great areas in our state.
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I commute to Kennicott from Longlake 5 months out of the year for work last 8 years. My truck and sanity rely on DOT grading the road. I appreciate all their efforts on keeping the road safe. Thanks!