There is a myth outside of Alaska that Alaskans primarily use dog teams and snowmachines for transportation. This is one of the few myths of Alaska that is at least partially true. There are huge sections of rural Alaska where snowmachines, dog teams, and small planes and helicopters are the only way to move goods and people. At least in the winter. During the summer, we can add watercraft to the mix. But the truth is that there are few roads in Alaska, and the roads that do exist north are often in extremely poor shape with tremendous potholes, frost heaves, narrow blind spots, etc. Anyone who has driven the Alaska Highway between the rural community of Tok and Fairbanks, for example, can tell horror stories of washboard conditions that slow travel down to 3 or 4 miles per hour. In other parts of rural Alaska, there are, of course, no roads at all. In those communities, planes, boats and four-wheelers in the summer and snowmachines in the winter are the only option for distance travel. These "off-road" communities have the highest costs of living anywhere in the US.
In this section, the students will explore transportation in rural Alaska. Here are some of the issues we will examine:
- how does the lack of modern transportation affect the price and availability of goods and services in rural Alaska?
- how are food, medical/health care, fuel, and other necessities transportation in Alaska?
- what technologies do rural Alaskans use to move about?
- how is rural Alaska community health affected by transportation issues?
- are different parts of the state affected in different way by transportation problems?
- what is the future of transportation in rural Alaska?
- how do fuel prices affect the availability of transportation?
- what has the state done to build and maintain transportation structure and infrastructure?
- how has the federal government (especially the US military) become involved in transportation issues?
Roads, Roads, Roads!
ReplyDeleteThe Road to Nome
A Road to Nome has been talked about and debated for over 100 years. Here are a few articles about the proposed road, which has been studied, but is not actually planned yet.
Tanana Chiefs Board Endorses Road 2010
Public Hearings on Road to Nome 2011
Roads to Resources
Governer Parnell has staked out a "Roads to Resources" program, and here is a critique of it by the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. Normally, %90 of road cost in Alaska comes from federal money, but Parnell is planning on using state General Fund money to build roads for mining companies.
UAF researchers work on way to ease road-building costs in rural Alaska
Juneau Empire article on engineering work at UAF to use a silt micture for roads. They built a test trip near Wasilla. The cost per yard is $200, which sounds expensive, but gravel in Western Alaska costs $200 to $600 a yard.
Barges, Barges, Barges!
ReplyDeleteThe US Army Corps of Engineers has been adding mooring points for barges in Western rural Alaska. Mooring points are pipes, chains and docks for barges and other boats to tie onto, allowing the barges to turn off their engines while they unload. This low-cost project is expected to save fuel and thus barge expenses. The fact that is is 2013 and many villages who rely on barges don't even have a dock or mooring point is indicative of the lack of transportation infrastructure in rural Alaska.
Denali Commission Co-Chair "Our priority should be barge landing projects over other waterfront and surface road activities," Neimeyer said. "The true economy of scale comes when entire river systems and coastal communities have mooring points installed."
Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/08/07/3013161/mooring-points-help-rural-communities.html August 7th, 2013
Here are the results of two questionnaires about Personal Transportation in Rural Alaska.
ReplyDeleteThe questions asked involved fuel consumption, vehicle inventory, energy efficiency, and cost of subsistence.
Highlights:
Most families most likely to only own 1 ATV as source of transportation.
Snowmachines and ATVs are the newest form of transportation. Boat engines are the oldest form of transportation.
Most families use 600 gallons of fuel annually for their main source of transportation.
Snow machines account for 52% of transportation fuel consumption annually
Moose Hunting and Wood gathering account for the most fuel consumption
http://www.uaf.edu/files/acep/2013_REC_Energy%20Efficiency%20Opportunities%20for%20Rural%20Subsistence%20Transportation_Toby%20Schworer.pdf
CARTS (Central Alaska Rural Transportation System, Inc.)
ReplyDeleteCARTS is a coordinated community attempt by Kenai Peninsula citizens to find ways to give residents whose transportation resources are few and whose need is great. It utilizes the vehicles and services that they already have in a better way.
CARTS is a demand response system set up to provide rides to residents and visitors to the central Kenai Peninsula including the cities of Soldotna and Kenai and communities of Kasilof, Sterling and Nikiski. CARTS takes calls during regular weekday hours and guarantees rides between the hours of 7 am and 11 pm five days a week, except for work trips. Work trips are provided twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week except for observed holidays.
http://www.ridesalaska.org/
http://www.alaskaasp.com/media/1013/lifeline_video_fact_sheet_2012.pdf
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to some information on aviation in Alaska. Planes are often the main mode of transport between rural villages and the city providing mail, food, and supplies to areas that cannot be easily reached by road. They are an important aspect of rural life as they provide a connection to the outside world.
http://www.spanalaskasales.com/index.html
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to a company that provides groceries, mail, etc. to rural areas.