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Construction has finished on the Kake Access Road project and the road and boat launch opened to the public October 29 according to Garrett Paul, project manager with the Department of Transportation. The project improved between 20 to 25 miles of existing roads and added six miles of new roads. It spans a total distance of 42 miles from Kake to the new boat launch. The total cost of the project was $40 million, consisting of $34 million for the construction contract and $6 million for project...
The Kake Access road is expected to be completed by mid-October according to Project Manager Garrett Paul. The estimated $40 million project forms a 37 mile long road from Kake to a new boat launch near Twelvemile Creek. Paul, who works with the Alaska Department of Transportation, said that approximately seven miles of new roads have been completed and between 15 and 20 miles of existing roads have been improved. "Overall our goal is to make this route an easily traversable one, so to do that...
The Borough Assembly approved a resolution at their Nov. 2 meeting that requests a public hearing between the community of Petersburg and state and federal representatives involved with the Kake Access Project. Resolution #2020-21 also opposes the expenditure of further funds for the road and requests an environmental impact statement be completed for the project. By approving the resolution, the borough assembly hopes to set up a public meeting between officials from the Alaska Department of...
Construction on the Kake Access Road project was expected to start in early to mid-July, but Joseph Kemp, Alaska Department of Transportation engineering manager for the project, said one last permit is needed before stretches of new road can be built. Permits from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, United States Forest Service and the United States Army Corps of Engineers are needed in order to undergo the project. Kemp said he is waiting for a permit from the USACE to be authorized,...
Construction on the Kake Access Project is expected to begin in mid-July and depending on conditions in the upcoming year, the project should be completed by late summer 2021, according to Joseph Kemp, engineering manager for the project. The Alaska Department of Transportation's contractors for the project, Kiewit Infrastructure West, will be arriving in Portage Bay in early July and will start construction on the road in the following weeks, said Kemp. The contractors look to have the project...
The borough assembly failed to pass a letter to Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner John MacKinnon requesting DOT revise their plans for the Kake Access Road project to end the road directly across from Petersburg on Kupreanof Island instead of at Twelvemile Creek. Mayor Mark Jensen, who requested the letter be put on the agenda, said ending the road at Twelvemile Creek was not a good plan and it should end closer to Petersburg in the Wrangell Narrows. "I...
A resolution that would have opposed the Kake Access Road project and asked state legislators to reappropriate the remaining balance of the $40 million in funding for the project was voted down by the borough assembly at their meeting on Monday. Most assembly members were in support of a road connecting Kake to Petersburg, though they did not agree with the road ending at Twelvemile Creek. They had hoped the road would stretch closer to Petersburg. Assembly Member Jeff Meucci suggested the road...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly recently considered a resolution urging the Legislature to re-appropriate money from a critical $40 million Kake-Petersburg road project to the Alaska Marine Highway System. This engages in an unnecessary ferry versus road debate at a time when we're pursuing all avenues of transportation for Southeast Alaska: ferries, airports and roads. Some points to consider: • Road funding from the 2012 capital appropriation for the road cannot be used for ferries. • It can...
A resolution opposing the Kake Access Road project was discussed at an assembly meeting Tuesday, but assembly members won't vote on the resolution until their March 2 meeting. Vice Mayor Jeigh Stanton Gregor requested that resolution #2020-01 be discussed at Tuesday's meeting to allow residents time to become aware of the resolution and to give their feedback to the assembly before they vote on it in March. The resolution cites the state's current "fiscal crisis" and the "99 percent shut down"...
Editor's Note: The following was received from Sen. Bert Stedman's office. January 28, 2020 Honorable Governor Mike Dunleavy Office of the Governor Dear Mr. Dunleavy, Welcome back to Juneau. We extend our best wishes in the upcoming session. As the Mayor of the City of Kake, I would like to show our support for the Kake Access Road. Having a road connection to Petersburg is very important in keeping Kake viable in these important times. It will give us an opportunity to increase the quality of...
The Petersburg Borough Assembly requested a public meeting with officials of the Alaska Department of Transportation in a letter approved at their meeting Tuesday to hear an update on the status of a new, unpaved 13.5-mile road connecting Kake and Petersburg on Kupreanof Island. The two paragraph letter addressed to Greg Lockwood, DOT project manager, states that the project is of major interest to the community and both the assembly and public have questions regarding the project. The letter...
A patchwork of logging roads already exists, and the project would connect those roads to make a 35-mile, single-lane road between Kake and 12-mile Creek north of the city of Kupreanof. The money was allocated in 2012 by State Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, as part of a program called "Roads to Resources" meant to help access to natural resources. "We need to have a transportation system in Southeast," Stedman said in a phone interview. "This road is part of a bigger drive to help stabilize and exp...
