Alaska Announces $1M Study Into New Underwater Tunnel

A study is underway to decide whether Alaska should build an underwater tunnel or not—with the research expected to cost at least $1 million, according to reports.
Officials hope to establish whether proposals for a tunnel beneath the Knik Arm river, connecting the Matanuska-Susitna Valley (known as Mat-Su) with Anchorage, should go ahead.
The year-long study, commissioned by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), would assess potential engineering challenges, construction methods, environmental impacts, and economic benefits, as well as the estimated price tag, according to local newspaper the Mat-Su Sentinel.
Currently, more than 30,000 drivers make the journey each day from Mat-Su to Anchorage using the aging Glenn Highway, which is the only route. But traffic is forecast to increase in the coming years because Mat-Su’s population is growing, and officials are mulling over the idea of connecting Mat-Su’s Point MacKenzie to Government Hill in Anchorage.
“With population growth concentrated west of the Parks Highway, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities anticipates a rise in commuter and freight traffic between Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Borough, as well as other northern destinations,” contract bid documents, which were released last Wednesday, said.
“Additionally, disruptions from seismic activity, bridge impacts, and construction have increased in recent years, underscoring the need for alternative transportation corridors to strengthen the overall network.”
An overview about the feasibility study can be found on the DOT&PF’s website. The agency “is conducting a comprehensive feasibility study to assess the potential for a transportation tunnel beneath the Knik Arm, connecting Anchorage with the Matanuska-Susitna Valley,” the site says.
“This project aims to explore alternative transportation corridors that address current and future transportation needs, enhance resilience to natural disruptions, and promote economic development in the region.
“The study will evaluate the tunnel’s engineering, environmental, and financial feasibility, offering solutions that could alleviate traffic on the Glenn Highway and provide a more direct link to northern Alaska.”
It remains unclear how the tunnel will be funded if it gets the go-ahead and when it is likely to be completed. Newsweek has reached out to the DOT&PF by email seeking further information and comment.
Alaska state senators appeared to be divided about the proposals and study. “I would personally be a fan of it—if it wasn’t too expensive and it wasn’t going to take 10 years to study,” Republican state Senator Mike Shower told the Anchorage Daily News.
However, Democratic state Senator Löki Tobin said: “Alaska does not need another feasibility study for a project that could cost billions and is strongly opposed by a majority of my constituents.”
The idea of connecting the two areas via Knik Arm has been around for decades.
Previous proposals included ideas for a railway line, a road bridge, and a ferry. But these ideas have all gradually fallen by the wayside. Work on the Knik Arm bridge—which had been forecast to cost $900 million—was halted in 2016 after budget woes.
That ill-fated bridge was not the first crossing in Alaska to be wound down amid controversy. The Gravina Island Bridge, which was due to replace a ferry from the island to the town of Ketchikan, ignited a fierce storm of debate.
Critics suggested it was a waste of taxpayers’ money after plans were announced in 2005. The crossing was not to be and it was dubbed the “Bridge to Nowhere” long before the project was finally officially scrapped in 2015.