(JUNEAU, ALASKA) The fast ferry Fairweather will be out of service until early September. The ship has been tied up in Juneau since a small oil leak was discovered Thursday evening in one of its four water jets, which power the ship. Officials hoped to weld a temporary patch and return to service by Thursday.…
Transportation
Glacier Highway extending 3 miles north
The road out of Juneau is getting a little longer this summer. Crews are extending Glacier Highway, the capital city’s northernmost land route. It’s a step in what officials hope will be an approximately 50-mile highway, to the north and west along Lynn Canal. Transportation Commissioner Marc Luiken told the Juneau Chamber of Commerce on…
State gets support in its fight against Roadless Rule
The Juneau Chamber of Commerce and 13 other Southeast businesses and organizations will join in the state’s lawsuit against a federal rule that prevents road construction in certain areas of the Tongass National Forest. The Parnell administration in June appealed a federal district court decision setting aside an eight-year-old policy that exempted the Tongass from…
Fairweather ends sailing, repairs expected soon
The fast ferry Fairweather ended its Sitka sailing today (Wednesday) due to problems with its automated engineering system. The ship left Juneau for Sitka in the morning, but turned around before entering Sergius Narrows, which can have strong currents. It returned to Juneau for repairs. The ferry’s engine room is un-staffed, and the equipment is…
New sweeper will only sweep valley streets
The City and Borough of Juneau is getting a new eight cubic yard, vacuum street sweeper. But as City Manager Rod Swope explains, it can only be used in the Mendenhall Valley. “Funding for this was acquired through a federal government congestion mitigation/air quality program transferred through the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to…
Planning Commission recommends Willoughby parking change
Juneau’s Planning Commission last night recommended the CBJ Assembly extend the city’s downtown Parking District 1 throughout the entire Willoughby District. The move would reduce the amount of required off-street parking in the neighborhood by 60 percent. Retail and office buildings would go from having to provide one space per 300 square feet to one…