The fast ferry Fairweather ties up in Sitka in August. The capital budget includes $9 million toward replacing its engines. Photo by Ed Schoenfeld.
Governor Sean Parnell’s capital budget proposes spending about $195 million on Southeast projects.
That’s a little more than 10 percent of the statewide total of $1.8 billion.
The spending plan, released today, is for the fiscal year beginning July 1st. The budget will undergo many changes before it’s passed by the Legislature in the spring. (Read the budget.)
The largest regional project would rebuild about 22 miles of the Haines Highway, which links the northern Southeast city to the Alaska Highway. The budget proposes spending $31 million on that work.
At the southern end of the region, Metlakatla Elementary School would undergo an almost $15 million renovation.
The new State Library, Archives and Museum building in Juneau would see another $20 million added to its funding.
The budget would also allocate $10 million toward construction of a road north out of Juneau, toward Haines and Skagway.
There’s also $9 million toward replacing the engines on the fast ferry Fairweather.
Ketchikan would receive about $5 million for water and sewer system work. Sitka would get about $1.4 million for the same.
Wrangell and Petersburg would each see $3 million for airport apron and taxiway work.
The governor’s $1.8 billion capital budget would be funded by the state and federal government, plus some other sources. Most large transportation projects use federal dollars.
