HB 115 Names a Section of Anchorage's Minnesota Blvd. After 'Great Alaskan'

(Juneau) – The Alaska House yesterday unanimously passed legislation honoring Alaska’s late Governor Walter J. Hickel.

House Bill 115, by House Rules Chair Craig Johnson, would concurrently name Minnesota Drive and a portion of O’Malley Road in Anchorage the Walter J. Hickel Expressway, from 15th Avenue to the O’Malley Road intersection with the New Seward Highway.

“This is a great way to honor a great Alaskan, Governor Hickel – and all he did for the state. I feel that naming a section of roadway is fitting as Governor Hickel was a great advocate for public roads and transportation,” Johnson, R-Anchorage, said. “Moreover, Governor Hickel was known to drive along this road frequently, admiring the scenic beauty of Alaska grandly showcasing the infrastructure and beneficial industrial development that he supported throughout the area.”

Throughout his long and distinguished career, Walter J. Hickel served as Governor of Alaska twice, as U.S. Secretary of the Interior under former President Richard Nixon and advocated for the development of the State of Alaska and the Circumpolar Arctic Region. In his many elected and public roles, Governor Hickel successfully pushed to open Prudhoe Bay to oil development and oversaw the permitting process for the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.

The bill now moves to the Alaska Senate for consideration.

Source: Office of Representative Johnson