What you need to know:

• The Mat-Su Assembly is asking the state to reroute the proposed West Susitna Access Road to terminate in the Point MacKenzie area, a step that borough officials say would facilitate future industrial access to the borough-owned Port MacKenzie.
• The road was originally envisioned as a 100-mile industrial corridor with an eastern terminus at Ayrshire Avenue, which would have provided direct port access, officials said. The current plan terminates the 22-mile recreational access road in Big Lake instead of near Point MacKenzie.
• Borough officials say the route as currently proposed limits long-term economic benefits to the region because it eliminates direct access to the port and increases traffic on community roads. The Assembly unanimously passed a resolution asking state officials to reconsider the road's terminus, emphasizing that routing it near Port MacKenzie would improve economic opportunities for the borough and support industrial activities.

PALMER – The Mat-Su Assembly is asking the state to shift the terminus of the proposed West Susitna Access Road back to the Point MacKenzie area so that future industrial users can easily access a Matanuska-Susitna Borough-owned deep water port.

As currently proposed, the federally funded, 22-mile gravel recreational access road would route traffic through Big Lake for easy access to the George Parks Highway, according to state plans.

The West Susitna Access Road was originally envisioned by state economic officials as a 100-mile industrial corridor linking the Point MacKenzie area to the Yentna Mining District near Rainy Pass. It was recast last year as a truncated recreational access road, with plans recently updated to connect it to the Big Lake area via the West Susitna Parkway instead of to Point MacKenzie via Ayrshire Avenue.

Borough officials said they expect the $85 million project to eventually expand to include industrial users, despite state plans that say the road is for recreational use only.

Placing the road outside the Point MacKenzie area would dramatically alter the borough's long-term ability to see major economic benefits from the construction because it would eliminate any direct access to the borough's Port MacKenzie, they said. It would also add unwanted wear and tear to community roads, they said.

“I don't think that puts the port in the best position for economic activity that would be coming out of the West Susitna in the long term,” Borough Manager Mike Brown said during an Assembly meeting this month. “We really need to look at options that connect to existing public transportation infrastructure if you're going to make the best use of it in the shortest time.”

A resolution passed 5-2 by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly this month urges state transportation officials to move the connection back to the Point MacKenzie area. Assembly members Rob Yundt and Dmitri Fonov voted against the resolution.

“A West Susitna Access Road terminus in the Point MacKenzie area will enhance economic opportunities, create a more direct and efficient transportation route for commercial and industrial activities, distribute traffic more evenly across the region, and support access to improved recreational opportunities,” the resolution states.

The resolution was submitted to state officials as part of a public comment period required for the proposed road project. The comment period closed on Aug. 23.

The resolution is part of an ongoing effort by borough officials to squeeze economic benefits from the little-used port and an unfinished 32-mile rail line in the area.

The port is slated for a new crane paid for by a federal grant that officials hope will make it a more attractive offloading location for barge shipments. An effort led by Brown is exploring whether 18 miles of the unfinished railbed between Point MacKenzie and the George Parks Highway can be converted to a road. 

-- Amy Bushatz can be contacted at abushatz@matsusentinel.com.

This story was updated Aug. 27 to clarify that Assembly members Rob Yundt and Dmitri Fonov voted against the borough road resolution.