What you need to know:
- The Mat-Su Assembly is asking the state to reroute the proposed West Susitna Access Road to terminate in the Point MacKenzie area, a step that borough officials say would facilitate future industrial access to the borough-owned Port MacKenzie.
- The road was originally envisioned as a 100-mile industrial corridor with an eastern terminus at Ayrshire Avenue, which would have provided direct port access, officials said. The current plan terminates the 22-mile recreational access road in Big Lake instead of near Point MacKenzie.
- Borough officials say the route as currently proposed limits long-term economic benefits to the region because it eliminates direct access to the port and increases traffic on community roads. The Assembly unanimously passed a resolution asking state officials to reconsider the road’s terminus, emphasizing that routing it near Port MacKenzie would improve economic opportunities for the borough and support industrial activities.
PALMER – The Mat-Su Assembly is asking the state to shift the terminus of the proposed West Susitna Access Road back to the Point MacKenzie area so that future industrial users can easily access a Matanuska-Susitna Borough-owned deep water port.