KABATA

The Coalition working for you

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NEWS: Knik Arm Bridge Should Be Removed from Transportation Priority List

Anchorage – Representatives Les Gara (D-Anchorage) and Harriet Drummond (D-Anchorage) encourage the public to comment on the need to stop wasteful spending on the proposed Knik Arm Crossing project. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is accepting public comments until Friday, August 19th on whether the roughly $2 billion bridge project should be removed from the current state transportation priority list.

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NEWS: Rep. Gara to Point Out Potential $2+ Billion State Liability for ā€œPrivateā€ Knik Arm Bridge Project;

ā€œUntil 2 years ago the state and federal officials promised the Knik Bridge would be built with private funds, and operated by a private company. With a new Governor and new mayor in Anchorage, that has changed. Now the state is likely on the hook for upwards of $2 billion or more in liability to the ā€œprivateā€ developer when tolls don’t pay for the cost of construction and operation of the project,ā€ said Rep. Gara.

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Note from Rep. Les Gara: Now You Don’t See It, Now You Do – Big Knik Bridge $ubsidy

The state’s no longer on the hook to guarantee to cover all financial losses for the private contractor who will build and operate the proposed Knik Arm Bridge. Oh wait. News flash! Yes it will.

Two years ago the promoters of the Knik Arm Bridge promised this billion dollar project would be built, paid for, and operated by a private contractor, which would recoup its costs with tolls. Then the Mayor of Anchorage and Governor changed their minds. Now they want state money to subsidize the private contractor. Then, a funny thing happened on my way to work last Friday. Well, it happened at work.

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Rep. Gara Objects to KABATA Plan to Destroy Homes and Businesses; Destroying homes before bridge is approved puts cart before the horse

JUNEAU – Today, Representative Les Gara sent a letter to the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority (KABATA) objecting to the rude awakening the group gave to property and business owners on Government Hill this fall. Letters from KABATA, a government agency, told owners that they will be vacated from those properties by this summer. KABATA has issued binding purchase offers and written in correspondence that it intends to own these properties by the summer of 2012. The project still has no funding, no developer, requires a potential $1 billion or more in state liability and appropriations, and has not yet been approved.

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Contact Info:
Graham Judson Press Secretary
(907) 465-5284
120 4th St, Juneau, AK 99801