Railroad realignment might go through North Pole, Alaska

Transportation experts will take a closer look at realigning the railroad through North Pole, Alaska, thanks to nearly $1 million in federal funding announced Sept. 27, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports.

The grant will go toward an
environmental assessment of re-routing the Alaska Railroad that studies impacts
on traffic, population, wetlands and more. The project is part of a decade-long
vision to move about 20 miles of track that runs through Fairbanks and North
Pole further south. The realignment has been split into three independent
pieces, so assessments would also be required for the Fort Wainwright area and
the city of Fairbanks before those parts moved forward.

"It’s the project that
both the borough and the railroad agreed was the most beneficial and the
priority," said Bruce Carr, director of strategic planning for the Alaska
Railroad Corporation, owner of the railroad. "Because this particular
project will eliminate more crossings for a lot less money than the other
two."

The North Pole section
offers the most simple engineering and financial scenario and would provide
substantial safety benefits, according to an agreement between the city and the
railroad corporation.

The relocation would also
stimulate development in North Pole, Mayor Doug Isaacson said.

"The railroad is
usually considered an economic driver, but here it’s an inhibitor," he
said.

Investors aren’t developing
land around the railroad because the space would be inaccessible without
expensive crossings, he said.

"Economically, it
could be worth billions of dollars in development and places for people to
live, places to work, manufacturing plants," he said.

A realignment would also
improve public safety, he said. North Pole has a growing population and a growing
industrial base, which already puts pressure on small-town infrastructure, he
said.

"There’s only room for
one school bus at a time between the Old Rich and the railroad, and we have 30
buses a shift going through that intersection," he said.

The environmental
assessment is the first step to a better route. It will take about one year and
cost about $1 million, Carr estimated. The investigation will be conducted by
the corporation and overseen by the Federal Railroad Administration and the
Federal Highway Administration.

"Once this document is
complete, we will then be in a position to seek construction money," Carr
said.

The North Pole bypass is
estimated to cost $50 million. The entire relocation would add up to more than
$200 million, according to the railroad corporation.

Isaacson hopes this
assessment will get the ball rolling in the borough, he said.

"Since these projects
take so long, the hope is by proving this and getting it project ready, it will
provide the impetus to get the rest of the rail realigned," he said.

"When money starts
getting transferred like $1 million, that’s no longer a petty issue."