The Alaska Department of Transportation this week applied for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fill or dredge about 100 acres of wetlands, streams and intertidal areas for construction of the East Side Lynn Canal Highway, also known as the Juneau Road.
DOT spokesperson Jeremy Woodrow said applying for the permit before a project is approved is “standard operating procedure.” If DOT waits to apply for permits until after the Federal Highway Administration issues a record of decision for the Juneau road, it would take years and years for construction to start, Woodrow said.
“That would just keep delaying the project even further,” he added.
Public comment on the Corps of Engineers permit is open until Dec. 31.
According to the application, construction of the 50.8-mile, 30-foot-wide highway from Juneau to Katzehin would discharge 531,100 cubic yards of rock, sand and gravel fill material into the water. This would affect 60.7 acres of forested wetlands and 25.5 acres of marine waters below the high tide line.
Approximately 266 culverts would be installed.
Construction of the new Katzehin ferry terminal would necessitate dredging of 40,000 cubic yards of silt and sand from about 4.4 acres to create a ferry mooring basin.
The application acknowledges the work may adversely affect essential fish habitat used by chinook, chum, coho, pink and sockeye salmon. It also acknowledges it may affect the humpback whale and Steller sea lion.
Applying early will also allow DOT time to address any changes requested by the Corps of Engineers, Woodrow said.
Corps of Engineers regulatory specialist Randal Vigil said the corps won’t make a decision on the permit until FHWA makes a ruling.
The corps weighs various factors when deciding to issue a permit, including the impacts to fish and wildlife, cultural resources and water quality. Economics, aesthetics, recreation, safety and mineral needs are also considered.
Woodrow said DOT is hoping to get a decision from FHWA by fall of 2015. Construction could start soon after, and would take about five to seven years, he said.
The permit’s construction plans revolve around the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement’s Alternative 2B, the East Side Lynn Canal Road option, being selected by the FHWA.
If a different alterative is selected, a Corps of Engineers permit may not be needed, Woodrow said.
In its application, DOT proposes several compensatory measures for the wetlands it would damage or destroy through the construction process, including purchasing “in-lieu-fee credits.” This essentially allows DOT to pay a Corps-approved nonprofit to preserve existing wetlands elsewhere, said corps regulatory specialist Matthew Brody.
The project is estimated to cost $574 million.
Anyone can submit a written request within the public comment period to ask that a public hearing be held to consider the application. Submit comments to Randal Vigil at [email protected].