The first vote to delay the project came in late June, and was unanimous. But the mayors of Houston and Wasilla sued, arguing they hadn't been told the decision was pending and only learned of it after the fact.
The most recent estimate put the likely cost of the project at around $680 million. The Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority, created by the Legislature in 2003, hopes to pay for the crossing through a combination of private and public financing that would be repaid by tolls paid to cross it. No financing plan is in place, however.
The roughly two-mile bridge would cross Knik Arm between Cairn Point in Anchorage and Point MacKenzie in the Mat-Su Borough.
Critics say the bridge would cost too much and siphon federal funding from more important road projects in Anchorage and the borough. Supporters say the bridge would open up largely undeveloped land on the Mat-Su side, and create a traffic alternative to the Glenn Highway.
The AMATS acronym stands for Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions.
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