Tongass National Forest

Bradfield Transportation Corridor

Issue

Congress, under the authority of Section 1601(a) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, set aside funding to address access issues facing the City of Wrangell. The funding was intended to produce a pre-NEPA scoping study on providing a land link transportation route from the City of Wrangell to the Cassiar Highway in British Columbia, Canada. A necessary part of the route is the Bradfield Transportation Corridor, which lies within the Tongass National Forest. Also, the State of Alaska, in its Draft Update for Public Review 2004 of the Southeast Transportation Plan, identified the Bradfield Transportation Corridor as a core access route for the Southeast, ranked behind Juneau Access, and Sitka Access.

The Forest Service, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF), and the City of Wrangell entered into a project agreement in November 2002 to carry out the congressional direction. The agreement transferred $1.2 million in funding and outlined study deliverables and commitments of all the parties.

Background

Currently the only way to get to Wrangell, Ketchikan, and other communities in southeast Alaska by car is via the Alaska Marine Highway ferry. Connecting these communities with a road system that ties into the mainland highways in Canada has long been presented as a potential improvement to the transportation system of Southeast Alaska. The Bradfield Transportation Corridor is one option that has been considered for connecting the communities of Wrangell and Ketchikan with the mainland road system in Canada. Studies of the Bradfield Corridor in the 1980’s and 1990’s were completed by private companies and the ADOT&PF. ADOT&PF prepared a summary paper for the Southeast Conference in 1997 titled “A Review—Bradfield Transportation Corridor Alternatives.” In 1998 the Department of the Interior and related agencies’ Appropriation Bill funded and directed the Forest Service to report on the feasibility of road access from Wrangell to Canada and Ketchikan.

The Forest Service report, “Feasibility of Providing Road Access from Wrangell to Canada and Ketchikan” was completed in 1998. The report determined that the routes studied were feasible, and that, “Construction costs would be approximately $439.6 million.” Annual maintenance costs would be about $9.2 million. The costs for preparing the environmental assessment and EIS would be approximately $6 million.

The State of Alaska indicated in 2004 that it views the Bradfield or “Central Access” as a priority project, and an integral part of a future southeast Alaska transportation system, one having a lower operating cost than present. Two other lesser priority access routes, the “Wrangell Access” and “Ketchikan Access,” are linked back to the Bradfield Corridor, and are only valid surface routes to the mainland if they connect to the Bradfield.

The previous State administration was not a proponent of the project.

The project is only feasible with the official support of the British Columbia provincial government. The miles of road proposed for the Bradfield Canal section include about 28 miles of new construction on the U.S. side and reconstruction of 22 miles and new construction of 36 miles on the Canadian side. Partnering with the Canadian and British Columbian governments is essential to implementing a project in the Bradfield corridor.

Current Situation

The FHWA is to deliver the complete Pre-NEPA scoping study in 2004. The study will have examined several routes within the Bradfield corridor, conducted preliminary geotechnical and hydraulic work, reviewed the existing literature, with a final report to contain a cost analysis and project estimate.

The Forest Service will continue as a cooperating agency in regard to the work and issues pertaining to the Bradfield Transportation Corridor. The Agency’s primary participation will be providing necessary Forest Service clearances/ permits, right-of-way or easement requirements, Forest Plan consistency, and other pertinent information as needed to support the project.

The City of Wrangell is working to facilitate a greater appreciation for the project benefits with Canadian businesses, and with local and regional British Columbia governments.

The ADOT&PF is a cooperating agency and a funding agency. ADOT&PF, as described in its 2004 Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan Update, intends to initiate an EIS should $6 million in funding be made available, and subject to an agreement with Canada.

More Information

Keith Simila, Director of Engineering and Aviation Management (907) 586-8733, ksimila@fs.fed.us.

Current as of March 2004

USDA Forest Service - Tongass National Forest Accessibility Statement
Last Modified: November 25, 2007