Opponents of the East Side Lynn Canal Highway, also known as the Juneau Road, outnumbered the project’s advocates five to one at last week’s Department of Transportation public hearing on the proposed 50-mile road from Juneau to the Katzehin River.
DOT sent 15 employees, consultants and independent contractors to the meeting, plus two Federal Highway Administration employees. DOT also hired a stenographer and hearing officer to run the public hearing on the Juneau Access Project Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
DOT spokesperson Jeremy Woodrow said because the 700-page SEIS document included information on avalanche mitigation, traffic analysis, and other specific subjects, the department wanted experts there to answer questions.
“The department wanted to ensure that there were enough personnel to assist the anticipated large amount of public attendees at both the open house and hearing. However, the attendance numbers were not as great as anticipated,” Woodrow said.
Though more than 70 people signed in during the five-hour meeting, only 27 testified publicly. Seven testified privately through a one-on-one court reporter.
Southeast Road Builders owner Roger Schnabel was one of the few who testified in favor of the east-side road. Schnabel, who said his company has signed more than 100 contracts with DOT over the past 25 years, called the road “a good thing.”
“I trust the department,” Schnabel said. “(They) put out a darn good design and do a darn good job.”
“This project will be done and can be done environmentally safe,” he added.
Jeremy Stephens, who testified as a member of the public but also works for DOT, said the road would afford him shorter trips between Haines and Juneau. Though public speakers were asked to give their addresses, Stephens refused in an attempt to avoid receiving “hate mail” because of his support of the road.
“I look forward to a road,” Stephens said. “Keep up the good work.”
Roger Schnabel’s sister, Debra Schnabel, had a different opinion from her brother’s, testifying “there is no better example of a road to nowhere than the proposed road connecting Juneau to nowhere.”
“This proposed road… was born in the minds of people who do not respect the geography of Southeast Alaska, and people who cannot accept that the capital of Alaska is in the Southeast, people who think that a capital city without road access is somehow a lesser capital city,” Debra Schnabel said.
She also said, economically-speaking, the road would “suck the blood” out of Haines, a point reiterated by resident Sue Libenson.
“Main Street will dry up and blow away,” Libenson said. “We would just be a truck stop where you could buy cigarettes and ice cream.”
Opponents of the road voiced the same complaints they have made for decades. Environmental degradation, economic unfeasibility and safety concerns were all raised once again.
Resident Dave Werner, however, claimed many of the objections to do the road were based on “myths.” Werner said the Juneau Road would be a “beautiful, scenic highway,” and objected to several comments identifying the ferries as safer than a road traveling through dozens of avalanche zones.
“If the ferries are so safe, how come the ferries are equipped with lifeboats?” Werner asked, which elicited guffaws from audience members.
The Juneau Road SEIS is DOT’s response to the U.S. District Court striking down its original environmental impact statement for the road in 2009. The court determined the document did not fully consider an alternative that would improve ferry service in the region using existing ferry assets.
Comments on the SEIS are due by Nov. 10. Comments will be addressed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
Access the SEIS online at www.juneauaccess.alaska.gov. Click on “Project Documents.”
Submit comments through the project website or email [email protected].