An I-Team Investigation

It seems like everyone is complaining about all the traffic congestion in Anchorage. The I-Team has learned that some projects, aimed at getting around easier, are on hold. But plans continue for the so-called "Bridges To Nowhere."

So what's going on?

People who've lived in Anchorage twenty years or more tell CBS 11 News they can't believe how much traffic there is in town these days. Critics accuse the state of putting money behind projects like the so-called "Bridges to Nowhere" at the expense of relieving congestion on roads we use every day.

But transportation experts tell CBS 11 News, it's not that simple.

There are so many roads

in Alaska, six times as many miles as the average state, and only so much money to fix them up. Critics accuse the state's transportation department of putting the so-called "Bridges to Nowhere" ahead of projects that would benefit a lot of people.

"DOT needs to make some hard decisions about those bridges. They do not serve a lot of folks in the Anchorage area. Folks in Wasilla are not going to be benefited by this bridge. It's going to still be a shorter commute and certainly a cheaper one to be driving on the Glenn Highway," said Lois Epstein of Alaska Transportation Priorities Project.

She'd rather see the money go to widening Lake Otis Parkway from Northern Lights to Debarr. It was in the works until a transportation board made up of local and state officials decided to put it in park. A staffer for the board tells the I-Team they just weren't getting enough money from the state to keep the project going.

The state says it's not being stingy, but has less money coming in from Congress and the cost of construction is soaring. Since 2000, the price of asphalt pavement has jumped 80 percent.

"So we're coping right now with the loss of purchasing power. And that means the entire program---projects all across the state---are taking delays," said Jeff Ottesen of the Department of Transportation.

It's delaying improvements to the New Seward Highway, too, and is preventing work from moving forward on a future connection between the Seward and Glenn Highways.

Figuring out how to deal with all those money problems is a big part of the mission of one group that met last week in Wasilla. City and borough representatives debated construction and transportation experts about what Alaska's highway priorities need to be between now and 2030. They'll send their recommendations to the DOT.

If the committee says, "We don't think we should spend money on the so-called Bridges to Nowhere," how much impact would that have?

"Well, we're not at that particular decision point, but I think we're---the message from DOT is that we're listening. We're glad to be having this discussion with them," said Eric Taylor of the Alaska Department of Transportation.

Epstein is hoping for a revolt.

"This is an advisory committee. They can send a strong message to DOT. And my guess is there will be some divisions within this committee about what to do," said Epstein.

DOT's Ottesen says Congress is forcing the state to spend money on the bridge from Ketchikan to Gravina Island. But it has flexibility in other parts of the bridge projects, which means tens of millions of dollars could still be in play.

If you want to sound off on which roads you think the state needs to put more money into, click here.

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If you have a story for the I-Team that you want me to look into, you can call the I-Team hotline number at 273-3111.