Let’s Complete Port Mackenzie Railroad Extension Project for the Good of Alaska
Contributed by Jessica Wright
My Testimony in support of the Port Mackenzie Rail Extension Project Completion, given at Matsu Borough Assembly Meeting on 09/12/2023
I am Jessica Wright. Thank you for letting me testify. I’m here to support completing Port Mackenzie Rail extension Project. As we all know Port Anchorage has a lot of problems. It requires constant repairs. It has to be dredged. The repair cost is estimated $1 billion so it makes sense that we should look for another port that we can depend on.
Port Mackenzie is a wonderful deep-water port and it’s only 2 miles from Port Anchorage. So far, we have already spent $180 millions on this Port Mackenzie railroad project, and we only need to spend another $150 millions to finish this project. I think it can be easily achieved. Besides, we can’t leave this project halfway done, we must finish it.
Someone suggests that we should turn this railroad project into a road. I think that’s a terrible idea. Turning a railroad into a road is like trading a diamond with an ordinary rock. The value of the railroad far exceeds a regular road. We can put 30-40 cargo vans on a train, but we can only put 1 cargo van on a truck. Reducing the heavy traffic on the Parks highway. Also, as a deep draft port, it’s crucial to be on Alaska railroad system. We can ship goods to other parts of Alaska. Maybe to Canada one day (once we connect the railroad to them).
We shouldn’t wait and we shouldn’t alter the original plan. There’s a reason why this railroad construction was planned at the first place because the planning committees saw the great potential of Port Mackenzie. With this railroad infrastructure, Port Mackenzie can be the gateway to Matsu, to Fairbanks, and to rest of Alaska. Without this railroad, it can only be a small local port. For these reasons, we must finish this railroad project without delay. It has to be our top priority. Thank you!