Lynn Canal Highway
Encyclopedia
The Lynn Canal Highway, or Juneau Access Road, is a proposed road between Skagway
and City and Borough of Juneau
, the capital of the U.S. state
of Alaska
.
Despite local divisiveness over the issue of improving access to and from Alaska's capital city, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' current (2007) plan calls for extending "The Road"
northward from Juneau to Skagway
, connecting with the Klondike Highway
and thus with the main continental road system. The corridor also crosses Berners Bay LUD II which is a congressionally designated roadless area created by the Tongass Timber Reform Act (TTRA). The act permits crossing LUD IIs when the governor of the State of Alaska designates routes as essential transportation corridors. This was done with the Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan (SATP) in August 2004. The proposed road skirts the shore of a northwestern section of Alaska's Inside Passage
, which was recently named a National Scenic Waterway. The Tongass National Forest
is currently adjusting its Forest Plan based on its Draft Environmental Impact Statement
, which may have an effect on whether this road is built.
If the proposed road goes in place, 80,000 drive-in visitors are estimated in addition to the 895,000 (2005) visitors arriving each summer by cruise ship to Juneau. A state study says that Juneau should expect 900 to 3,400 additional recreational vehicles in a road's first year. A cursory search of Frommer's and the Tongass National Forest website suggusts approximately 169 camping sites in and around Juneau as of July, 2008. (Spruce Meadows RV Park, Auke Village Campground, Mendenhall Lake Campground, Savikko RV Park and Eagle Beach State Park.) A 150 day tourist season and an average three day stay would suggest a potential overcrowding and capacity issue on some high traffic occasions presenting a added opportunity for economic development in the area.
Proponents for the road argue that a road would secure Juneau as the capital city (since the capital has twice been voted to be moved nearer Anchorage, this is an ever-present fear in the minds of many Juneauites that live in a city they feel would hardly exist without state bureaucratic presence), that the increased tourism via buses and RV'ers will boost Juneau's economy, that a road would make Juneau the top sea port in Southeast Alaska, that it would provide more readily available healthcare to residents of Skagway
and Haines
, and allow Juneauites to drive north instead of catching a ferry or plane.
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. It was formerly a city first incorporated in 1900 that was re-incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862...
and City and Borough of Juneau
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
, the capital of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Despite local divisiveness over the issue of improving access to and from Alaska's capital city, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' current (2007) plan calls for extending "The Road"
Out the road (Juneau)
Out the road is a colloquial term for a region of the City and Borough of Juneau, capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, extending from Auke Bay north to a point roughly 45 miles from downtown Juneau to where "The Road" dead ends at Echo Cove, a natural harbor with a boat ramp, parking lot, and...
northward from Juneau to Skagway
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. It was formerly a city first incorporated in 1900 that was re-incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862...
, connecting with the Klondike Highway
Klondike Highway
The Klondike Highway links the Alaskan coastal town of Skagway to Yukon's Dawson City and its route somewhat parallels that used by prospectors in the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush....
and thus with the main continental road system. The corridor also crosses Berners Bay LUD II which is a congressionally designated roadless area created by the Tongass Timber Reform Act (TTRA). The act permits crossing LUD IIs when the governor of the State of Alaska designates routes as essential transportation corridors. This was done with the Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan (SATP) in August 2004. The proposed road skirts the shore of a northwestern section of Alaska's Inside Passage
Inside Passage
The Inside Passage is a coastal route for oceangoing vessels along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific coast of North America. The route extends from southeastern Alaska, in the United States, through western British Columbia, in Canada, to northwestern Washington...
, which was recently named a National Scenic Waterway. The Tongass National Forest
Tongass National Forest
The Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska is the largest national forest in the United States at 17 million acres . Most of its area is part of the temperate rain forest WWF ecoregion, itself part of the larger Pacific temperate rain forest WWF ecoregion, and is remote enough to be home...
is currently adjusting its Forest Plan based on its Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
, which may have an effect on whether this road is built.
If the proposed road goes in place, 80,000 drive-in visitors are estimated in addition to the 895,000 (2005) visitors arriving each summer by cruise ship to Juneau. A state study says that Juneau should expect 900 to 3,400 additional recreational vehicles in a road's first year. A cursory search of Frommer's and the Tongass National Forest website suggusts approximately 169 camping sites in and around Juneau as of July, 2008. (Spruce Meadows RV Park, Auke Village Campground, Mendenhall Lake Campground, Savikko RV Park and Eagle Beach State Park.) A 150 day tourist season and an average three day stay would suggest a potential overcrowding and capacity issue on some high traffic occasions presenting a added opportunity for economic development in the area.
Proponents for the road argue that a road would secure Juneau as the capital city (since the capital has twice been voted to be moved nearer Anchorage, this is an ever-present fear in the minds of many Juneauites that live in a city they feel would hardly exist without state bureaucratic presence), that the increased tourism via buses and RV'ers will boost Juneau's economy, that a road would make Juneau the top sea port in Southeast Alaska, that it would provide more readily available healthcare to residents of Skagway
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. It was formerly a city first incorporated in 1900 that was re-incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862...
and Haines
Haines, Alaska
Haines is a census-designated place in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the area was 1,811. Haines was formerly a city but no longer has a municipal government...
, and allow Juneauites to drive north instead of catching a ferry or plane.