This is a DRAFT letter by the City Manager for Mayor Carey of the Borough to Governor Palin. I thought I would post this so that the community knows that the City is calling the attention of the Governor to the failures of the system currently in place and is seeking solutions and remedies to address these failures.
April 29, 2009
Dear Governor Palin,
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I am asking for your consideration and actions that could help rectify the impacts of poor planning and inadequate communications by the leaders and staff of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT/PF). These failures are having a serious impact on the City of Seward and the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Quite simply, DOT/PF personnel failed to follow state statutes in coordinating, planning, and conducting temporary replacements and repairs to the Trail River, Ptarmigan Creek, and Falls Creek bridges. These were actions that closed the Seward Highway from 24 to 28 April.
The contract and the dates of closure of the single highway to Seward were established without the essential and statutory coordination that is required with local government. The dates selected for the closure were during a peak weekend for business, recreational, and personal travel. Throughout the period of closure communications with the Borough and City were inconsistent and inaccurate. Additionally, the closure was 27 hours longer than planned.
At this early juncture it is difficult to comprehend the full amount of economic damage to businesses, non-profit organizations such as the Alaska SeaLife Center, and individuals in the Kenai Peninsula Borough and the City of Seward. Losses were experienced in all sectors of the economy. Many organizations were without key personnel and a cruise ship was unable to obtain much needed supplies. Thankfully no major emergencies occurred during this period. We may not be as lucky next time.
I ask for your immediate support and funding to accomplish the following actions.
1) Improve the Alaska Road Traveler 511 system. The current system provides information that is inaccurate and untimely. Accurate and timely information is essential for avoiding the adverse impacts that occur to businesses and individuals when a major road is closed.
2) Provide the Bridge Inspection Team a second vehicle for their summer inspections of the Trail River Bridge. These inspections will occur on a monthly basis. During these inspections commercial vehicles over 30 thousand pounds will be prevented from crossing the bridge. The Department of Transportation (DOT) has located a potential second vehicle in Anchorage. However, this vehicle may not meet the required specifications. If this vehicle is not suitable then DOT should be given funding to obtain a second vehicle from the lower 48. The limits to commercial vehicles during the monthly inspection periods will severely restrict passenger buses, delivery trucks and fish cargo movements to and from Seward. Shortening the duration of the inspections by using two inspection vehicles and teams is a key to protecting Sewards economy during the current recession.
3) Establish and fund a comprehensive summer-long media campaign that informs individuals in Anchorage, the Matanuska Susitna Borough, and the Kenai Peninsula that road to Seward will not be closed for bridge repairs during the summer. After discussing this situation with the Seward Chamber of Commerce and media consultants, a radio and TV ad campaign would cost the State approximately $80,000. This campaign could correct the significant misinformation that exists throughout the State about highway closures and bridge repairs on the Seward Highway. The inadequate and inaccurate information from DOT/PF has exacerbated this problem.
4) Develop an emergency contingency plan that addresses the possibility that the Trail River Bridge could become unsafe for vehicle traffic. This would be a major emergency.
5) Develop a bypass route that prevents the closure of the Seward Highway during any future bridge repair or replacement operations.
During the recent closure of the highway the Seward Police Department received almost one-thousand complaints from citizens and business owners about the lack of information and inadequate coordination from DOT/PF. This is the type of failure that reduces confidence in government and elected officials. This is also a situation where the State of Alaska may not have sovereign immunity against claims from those suffering economic loss. It is a situation that requires and deserves your immediate attention.
Sincerely,
Dave Carey
Mayor, Kenai Peninsula Borough
