Long admired by uber-liberals for its socialistic-style welfare state, Norway is often held up as an example for Alaska to follow \u2014 despite its lack of fit with Alaskans\u2019 independent, self-reliant image.<\/p>\n
However, I\u2019ll be the first to admit Norway does some things right and similarities abound.<\/p>\n
Norway occupies the same latitudes as Alaska, with an Arctic climate in the north and a more moderate marine climate in the south. Its soaring mountains \u2014the highest of which are less than half the height of Alaska\u2019s tallest peaks \u2014 are every bit as beautiful. Its rugged coastal terrain and spectacular fjords could easily be mistaken for Alaska\u2019s southeast coast.<\/p>\n
Norway\u2019s economy, like Alaska\u2019s, is over-dependent on the oil industry and faces serious pressure due to collapsing oil prices. The country has wisely amassed a large sovereign wealth fund \u2014 similar to our Permanent Fund \u2014 but unlike us decided long ago to use it to partially offset the cost of government.<\/p>\n
Norway views transportation infrastructure differently as well. While Alaska struggles to build a mere 50 miles of road to connect our state capital with the rest of Alaska and the continental road system, Norway has embarked on an ambitious project to re-route and modernize its E39 highway, stretching 800 miles along their west coast, by eliminating all seven ferry crossings along the route.<\/p>\n
Predictably, delays have stalled the project, although not for reasons you might suspect. Local mayors campaigned hard to get the new route built through their municipalities, because of the job opportunities the project would create and new residents it would attract. Arguments over the route caused long delays, drawing criticism over the length of the planning process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been several different alternatives for the transition \u2026\u2026,\u201d Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg explained. \u201cThat has meant it has taken time to go through it. It is a decision that has large local significance. It is clear that where the road goes, it will also give economic injections\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
How different that sounds from the years of delay the Juneau Access project has endured because of environmental opposition and nuisance lawsuits. It\u2019s certainly different than the frantic claims from road opponents that death, destruction and environmental degradation will result by building a road that reduces transportation costs, increases capacity and makes travel more convenient.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s interesting that technological challenges in building the East Lynn Canal Highway pale in comparison to those Norway faces in crossing seven different fjords \u2014 some over two miles wide and 4,000 feet deep \u2014 to provide hard road links the entire length of the route.<\/p>\n
Instead of throwing up their hands and saying it can\u2019t be done, Norway chose a visionary process that embraces new technologies to tunnel through mountains, or construct underwater floating tunnels or floating suspension bridges unlike any in the world today.<\/p>\n
The reason Norway is investing in a project of this magnitude \u2014 a ferry-free main national highway \u2014 is because the benefits of doing so far outweigh the cost. The current 21-hour travel time will be cut to 11 hours. Economic expansion will naturally follow resulting in more jobs and an increase in population and tax revenue.<\/p>\n
Norway realizes that over time, roads are far less costly in capital and operating costs. Replacing ferry routes with road extensions will greatly increase capacity, frequency, travel opportunity and offer significant travel time and user cost savings. Ferries, because of their limitations, essentially restrict demand, reduce flexibility, and make transportation more costly or prohibitive. Ferry subsidies tend to be very high, increase over time, and continue in perpetuity.<\/p>\n
Yet Alaska, facing the same fiscal challenges and sorely needing the economic benefits this road would provide, continues to wrestle with the decision. It\u2019s puzzling why this is so. The federal government would pay for 90 percent of road construction, and the state contribution, already appropriated, is paltry compared to the economic return.<\/p>\n
Contrary to opponent\u2019s claims, the Juneau road would not be a \u201cdead-end.\u201d While we cannot make the Lynn Canal Highway a hard road link yet, the benefits of a longer road coupled with a 6-mile shuttle ferry would be enormous, reducing the seven-hour travel time of a mainline ferry to three hours.<\/p>\n
Travelers from Juneau could drive to Katzehin and catch a short 27-minute shuttle ferry ride to Haines and beyond. The cost would be $15 plus $4.50 per passenger \u2014 88 percent less than the current $274 one-way ticket for a vehicle and four passengers.<\/p>\n
It would also strengthen our existing ferry system, allowing mainliners to serve other ports more frequently while lowering overall system costs.<\/p>\n
From President Eisenhower\u2019s big bet on the interstate highway system to Norway\u2019s groundbreaking project, history continues to favor those who build roads. They will always lead us to greater places.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Win Gruening retired as the senior vice president in charge of business banking for Key Bank in 2012. He was born and raised in Juneau and is active in community affairs as a 30-plus year member of Juneau Downtown Rotary Club and has been involved in various local and statewide organizations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Long admired by uber-liberals for its socialistic-style welfare state, Norway is often held up as an example for Alaska to follow \u2014 despite its lack of fit with Alaskans\u2019 independent, self-reliant image. However, I\u2019ll be the first to admit Norway does some things right and similarities abound. Norway occupies the same latitudes as Alaska, with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":8,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-22983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22983\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22983"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=22983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}