The better answer is a tunnel crossing to Ketchikan airport

Sitka and Ketchikan have much in common: They both have airports on islands — Japonski (Sitka) and Gravina (Ketchikan). Yet there is a significant difference: Sitka has a bridge to their island and Ketchikan has a ferry. I believe there is another alternative.

The late Don Young, while a member of the U.S. House, was successful in obtaining initial federal funding for planning and engineering for a bridge to Gravina Island, but we had a change in governors and the new governor moved the money to needed road projects in Central and Interior Alaska.

It’s time to look for an alternative to a bridge. Let’s take another look at a tube or tunnel. Transportation tunnels are common in northern Europe and Scandinavia.

The distance between the two islands, Gravina and Revilla, is less than a few hundred yards. The major construction could be done in the adjacent shipyard. With the location of the U.S. Geological Survey now in Ketchikan, there is the capability of assistance to help determine the most favorable channel location for the tunnel.

Recent technology suggests that a tube could be buried on the seafloor to allow adequate depths for passing ships. The tunnel would address any concern that might occur with a bridge as an obstacle to aircraft in and out of the area.

Ketchikan is experiencing a huge increase in visitor traffic due to more cruise ships coming to Southeast, as well as the recent completion of new cruise ship docks in Ward Cove. Having the tunnel in an accessible location to the downtown area would not only offer convenience to the airport but would provide ready access to downtown businesses and offer an opportunity for expansion on the Gravina side, which would provide growth and relieve further congestion.

Rather than simply agonizing over the issue of increased congestion, as tourism continues to expand, a tunnel would provide permanent relief and a convenient opportunity for growth adjacent to the downtown area. Realistically, it provides a permanent solution and deserves serious and timely consideration.

— Frank H. Murkowski