ANCHORAGE – Governor Bill Walker applauded Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan Wednesday for introducing legislation that would allow a road to be built between King Cove and Cold Bay. Titled the “King Cove Road Land Exchange Act”, the bill would facilitate a land exchange between the U.S. Department of the Interior and the State of Alaska to finally allow this life-saving road to be constructed.
“I thank Senator Murkowski and Senator Sullivan for their unwavering commitment to this project and the people of King Cove. My administration is dedicated to ensuring the resources necessary to make this road a reality,” said Governor Walker. “For far too long, residents of King Cove have had to travel by helicopter or boat to access the Cold Bay airport during a medical emergency. Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit King Cove and Cold Bay to view both ends of the proposed road. The impact on the surrounding environment would be minimal, yet the presence of this road would save lives by providing King Cove residents with timely access to medical care during an emergency.”
Under the proposed legislation, the Department of Interior would exchange land from the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge for land owned by the state to build a single-lane, non-commercial gravel road connecting the two communities.
Governor Walker expressed his support for the legislation, and urged Congress and the incoming administration to move quickly on this life-saving proposal.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]
