Tuesday Morning News

Good morning!

It's 46 and raining in Anchorage. We've had gusty and downright enthusiastic winds for the last couple of evenings. It's raining about as hard as it ever does, which is to say a steady drizzle. In addition, there's fresh snow on the mountaintops above town; shades of last summer (3rd coldest on record).

* More bears have been seen along the bike trail between Anchorage and Girdwood, near Bird Point. That's the same area that was closed last week because of bear activity. (See pictures at the link.)

* There were no reports of serious injuries or damage from yesterday's 5.4 magnitude earthquake. Read the story here. UPDATE: There was another 'quake measuring 4.1, in the same spot at 8 a.m. today. That's three in the last 24 hours or so, measuring 4.9 4.0 or greater. (Danged typos...)

* For years, there has been a push to build a bridge from Anchorage to the Mat-Su Borough, to the north. Anchorage, a city of 280,000± people, has exactly one - count 'em - one highway in or out of town. Any evacuation order here would be nearly as disastrous as whatever we were to escape, as there are two lanes going south, and four going north. There are no other choices.

The bridge, if it's ever constructed, would provide another major route out of town. The problems, among others, include the following concerns:
a) it would cross the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet, and might interfere with fish migration or other nautical wildlife/whales/etc.;
b) the proposed crossing site is in an area particularly susceptible to earthquake subsidence;
c) any footings for the bridge would have to find bedrock which, again, is subject to movement during the frequent tremors we have here; and
d) it's going to cost $1.5 billion, according to the most recent estimate.

The bridge would provide available open space for new construction, something that Anchorage needs badly. Opponents point out that it would contribute to <gasp> URBAN SPRAWL, a catchword that so-called progressives have been using for 30 years to mean something horriblenastySELFISHmeanuglySELFISHundesirableSELFISHhorridbad.

Why, Anchorage might lose residents who would build homes across the bridge, in the adjoining Borough. That's as opposed to those who can't build here at all, now, and move to said Borough already. This argument is specious as best, as anyone building nearby would most likely continue to work & shop in Anchorage, rather than doing their shopping in Palmer or Wasilla which are the population centers nearest Anchorage now.

I have no problem with the concept of a bridge across the Arm into the Mat-Su. The real difficulty is in the actual construction, and paying for construction and maintenance of such a facility. It would be a toll bridge, so we're told, supposedly paying for itself. That remains to be seen.


Thanks for stopping by.