I've been thinking about how some of the proposed projects for Anchorage seem punitive for the residents: the Knik Arm bridge resulting in loss of homes, including my mom's; losing chunks of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail for airport expansion.
I'm not a city planner, so humor me here. What if the land swap occurs in such a manner that the airport is moved across the Inlet? This would allow for years of growth without punitive consequences for residents: loss of trails, eventual loss of homes, more noise from bigger aircraft, etc. That would also create a genuine need for a bridge and would boost the traffic to a point where the toll and ability to pay for the thing start to make sense. And the folks losing their homes to the bridge could be included in this land swap.
Big projects cost a lot of money but also generate a lot of jobs. Maybe it could be a collaborative project? Just musing.
-- Melanie Lynch
Anchorage