Steam plume emanating from Mt. Spurr on 9/10/2006
Credit: James Copen / AVO
One estimate of the cost for bridging Knik Arm is $600 million. But such an immense amount of capital could fuel many other megaprojects. Has imagination finally failed Alaska, land of the Last Big Dream?
Here’s one better way to knead that dough.
Consider Mount Spurr. It rises from the horizon, 80 miles due west of Anchorage, the closest active volcano to the largest city in America’s Far North state. It’s a stunning white massif, far more scenic than that amorphous blob called Denali. It’s exciting. Dangerous. Romantic. And very, very snowy.
Even better, Mount Spurr belongs to the State of Alaska. It’s our very own volcano.
Yet when Uncle Derkie and family visit Anchorage from Peoria, you can’t load them into the old ‘bago and drive to the Spurr Overlook and Campground. It might as well be on the moon.
So, instead of burning up $600 million on a bridge across Knik Arm, let’s build a new highway across the Susitna Valley to the west side of Cook Inlet with the goal of stretching the pavement right to Anchorage’s postcard darling, Mount Spurr Volcano.
I’m talking about what would become one of the greatest tourist attractions on earth: The Spurr Volcano State Park.
- All about Spurr
- Spurr primer from AVO
- ADN: Volcano energy
- DNR: Geothermal proposal
Who needs a coal field or a gas pipeline when you can charge a million cruise passengers and retirees 25 bucks a head to gape at two-and-one-half miles of craggy, snow-cloaked immensity? (Yeah, yeah, the arithmetic is off. So hire an economist.)
Wouldn’t this project also dovetail with the state Department of Natural Resources interest in leases for geothermal exploration, what could lead to clean power generation? It would open up vast stretches of almost untouched state land for recreation and wildlife viewing. And what about summer skiing? Spurr’s upper flanks might support one of North America’s most fabulous extreme downhill runs, carving snow supreme in the low-lying sun.
Ice cauldron of Mt. Spurr, with geysering,
superheated fumarole is geysering
Credit: Game McGimsey / AVO
To be sure, there would be gobs of issues to resolve. The route of this new road might bring unwelcome visitors to the freeholders in the lower Susitna River area, Alexander Creek, Dinglishna Hill, the community of Beluga. It would potentially impact salmon fishing and hunting and require tweaking the regs. It would bring road access close to oil and gas fields, possibly creating headaches for field security. The Native Village of Tyonek would undoubtedly have a great deal to say about whether and where such a road would lead once it got to the other side, and it would be important to consider the village’s concerns.
Still, as long as we Alakans are going to rip through another half a billion, shouldn’t we do something fabulous and new? When is the last time you turned to Aunt Mae and said, ‘Hey, let’s drive to Point MacKenzie?’
But admit it. You’ve always wanted to drive to Spurr.