Yukon River Reconnaissance Study Existing Conditions and Initial Needs Assessment Report Prepared for: Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Prepared by: HDR 2525 C Street, Suite 500 Anchorage, AK 99503 In Association with: Corvus Culture E3 Environmental Golder Associates March 2018 The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by DOT&PF pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated November 3, 2017 and executed by FHWA and DOT&PF. This page intentionally left blank. Yukon River Reconnaissance Study Existing Conditions and Initial Needs Assessment EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) initiated the Yukon River Reconnaissance Study in 2015 to determine and evaluate potential alternative Yukon River crossing locations for the Dalton Highway. The reconnaissance study was prompted largely as a response to two events: a slope failure that occurred in the vicinity of the existing Yukon River bridge in 2012 and legislative action passed by the Alaska State Senate in 2014 requiring DOT&PF to evaluate the design and construction of a new, separate bridge across the Yukon River that would accommodate the State’s proposed gas pipeline project. This Existing Conditions and Initial Needs Assessment is the first component of the reconnaissance study and includes an assessment of factors that would drive a decision for a future project. The uses and value of the bridge and highway were identified primarily through a literature review and the distribution of questionnaires to stakeholder groups, tourism-related businesses, oil industry support, area residents, Native allotment holders, and tribal organizations. Pertinent area land use management plans, transportation plans, and development plans were also mined for potential needs in the corridor tied to use of the Yukon River Bridge. The main topics investigated in this document include: • Historical, current, and future use of the Yukon River Bridge and highway corridor; • Future development plans in the corridor; • Existing transportation plans in the vicinity; • Existing and future conditions of the bridge; • Traffic safety considerations; • Existing and future maintenance and operation needs of the bridge; • Bridge failure scenarios; • Emergency access alternatives; • Socioeconomic and environmental considerations; and • Likely life-cycle cost analysis scenarios. This document concludes with a summary of the conditions and needs identified in this initial effort and assigns a “scale of need” based on how soon the item might warrant action and the severity of consequences of not addressing the need. This information is intended to help inform decision makers of the scale of the need, which may influence the level of effort, timing, and composition of future work. A draft of this report was made available for public and agency review on the project website (http://www.dot.alaska.gov/nreg/yukonriverrecon/ ) beginning in mid-January 2018 and extending through February 15, 2018. DOT&PF solicited comments on the report by sending emails to stakeholders and to those who had participated in the questionnaire outreach efforts early on. DOT&PF received very few comments, resulting in only minor revisions to the report. i March 2018 Yukon River Reconnaissance Study Existing Conditions and Initial Needs Assessment This page intentionally left blank. ii March 2018 Yukon River Reconnaissance Study Existing Conditions and Initial Needs Assessment Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................i 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Study Overview......................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Study Setting ............................................................................................................ 1-2 1.3 Study Methods and Content .................................................................................... 1-4 2 Background ...................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 Highway and Bridge Infrastructure History ........................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Oil Discovery and Infrastructure Development ......................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Dalton Highway Design and Construction ................................................................. 2-2 2.1.3 Yukon River Bridge Design and Construction ........................................................... 2-2 2.1.4 Post-construction ............................................................................................................ 2-3 2.1.5 Operations and Maintenance ......................................................................................... 2-4 2.2 Use ............................................................................................................................ 2-5 2.2.1 History of Use and Access ............................................................................................. 2-6 2.2.2 Current Use and Classification ...................................................................................... 2-8 Functional Classification ................................................................................................ 2-9 Traffic Volumes ............................................................................................................. 2-10 Road Conditions ............................................................................................................ 2-12 Users ................................................................................................................................ 2-12 Research .......................................................................................................................... 2-16 Services ........................................................................................................................... 2-16 2.2.3 Future Use and Classification ...................................................................................... 2-17 2.3 Development Plans ................................................................................................ 2-19 2.3.1 Historic Regional Natural Resource Exploration and Development .................... 2-19 2.3.2 Adjacent Land Management and Support Services.................................................. 2-20 2.3.3 “Roads to Resources” ................................................................................................... 2-24 2.3.4 Petroleum ....................................................................................................................... 2-26 2.3.5 Liquefied Natural Gas .................................................................................................. 2-30 Alaska Stand Alone Gas Pipeline ................................................................................ 2-30 Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas Project ........................................................................ 2-32 Interior Energy Project ................................................................................................. 2-34 2.3.6 Minerals .......................................................................................................................... 2-34 2.4 Relationship with Industry and Commercial Stakeholders ................................... 2-36 2.5 Affected Stakeholders’ Input from Study Survey Questionnaires ......................... 2-38 2.5.1 Tourism........................................................................................................................... 2-38 2.5.2 Industry ........................................................................................................................... 2-38 2.5.3 Native Allotment ........................................................................................................... 2-39 2.5.4 Key Points from Returned Surveys ............................................................................ 2-40 2.6 Existing Transportation Plans ............................................................................... 2-42 2.6.1 Alaska Statewide Long Range Transportation Plan, 2016 ...................................... 2-42 2.6.2 Interior Alaska Transportation Plan, 2010 ................................................................ 2-42 Economic Development Implications ....................................................................... 2-47 Maintenance, Operations, and Capital Expenditures .............................................. 2-47 2.6.3 Alaska State Rail Plan, November 2016 ..................................................................... 2-48 iii March 2018 Yukon River Reconnaissance Study Existing Conditions and Initial Needs Assessment 2.6.4 Northwest Alaska Transportation Plan, Community Transportation Analysis, 2004 ................................................................................................................................. 2-49 2.7 Legislative Intent ................................................................................................... 2-51 3 Existing Condition