There is another step forward in the effort to build a bridge across Knik Arm.

After years of trying to reach a compromise, the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority has agreed to pay a city, a borough and tribal organizations money to research if building the bridge will destroy any historical areas such as burial sites.

$1.2 million will go to a handful of organizations to help them vigorously research historical sites and protect them from development and while KABATA says this is good news, it did not happen over night. "We went through a very lengthy process and brining in all of the diverse stakeholders together, it was a difficult task," said Mary Ann Pease, the spokesperson for KABATA.

The new agreement will help local governments research, locate and preserve historical sites that could be impacted by the construction of the span linking Anchorage to Point MacKenzie. "We are able to take a look at areas that are likely to get affected by the propose project and get a better understanding of the historical resources that we have and if we do identify things that our archeologically significant to protect them," said John Duffy, Mat-Su Borough Planner.

Protecting sites, some say have disappeared over time with development. "Right where the Knik Arm crossing would go, we have photographs of a fish camp right there during World War II was burned down and bull dozed and we were told not to come back and it became part of the Army dump.

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So, we have clear documents of these sites," said Aaron Leggett, Dena'ina Cultural Historian with the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

The Mat-Su Borough says it hopes with the monetary aid of $310 thousand that will help locate more historical sites. "There has been sporadic surveys done, but we don't have a really good idea of the whole area and the settlement pattern in the entire area that maybe impacted by the construction of the bridge," said Fran Seager-Boss, Cultural Resources Specialist with the Mat-Su Borough.

In addition to the Mat-Su Borough, the Native Village of Eklutna and the Knik Tribal Council will each get $107,637. The State Historic Preservation Office will get $120,976 and the Municipality of Anchorage will get the biggest slice of $522,000. "That is going to cover Government Hill area as well, which I think will be the bulk of the work and quite a bit of the research that has to be done documenting historic properties there," said Pease.

The question that remains now is what happens if the search for historic sites turns up like graveyards or other artifacts that can't be moved.

"I am not so sure it would be a game changer. I mean it is possible, I guess. However it could change the affect on the design and transportation improvements depends on what could be found," said Duffy.

The money has not trickled in just yet. The Mat - Su Borough says it expects to see the money coming in a couple months and each organization will have a couple years to complete the research.

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