Opinions

Alaska ferries don't call in Anchorage, but they bring plenty of business

Every day Anchorage is the destination for thousands of people who come for work, shopping, meetings, airline connections or entertainment. Anchorage is Alaska's largest center of commerce and economic activity, and on any given day it hosts hundreds or thousands of individuals along with its 300,000 residents. But to get there, the same individuals who earn and spend millions of dollars within Anchorage's local economy must travel on the state's transportation network. Yes, there's certainly the roads, planes and rails, but there's also the Alaska Marine Highway System.

Alaska's marine highway has been around for over 50 years. To quote Sen. Lisa Murkowski: "In Alaska, our ferry system is not an alternative route -- it's a primary method of transportation. The Alaska Marine Highway system totals more miles than the distance from Seattle to Miami ... it is an economic engine and improves our way of life, from Dutch Harbor to Metlakatla." Yes, the AMHS is an economic engine for all Alaskans. While residents of Anchorage and the Mat-Su area may not see a ferry docked in their community, the commercial activity brought to bear in those communities from the marine highway is undeniable, significant and well worth appreciating.

Cordova offers an excellent case study in what we like to refer to as the "Multiplying Effects of Marine Economics." Residents here have the opportunity to shop locally for basic supplies, but a significant portion of most of a family's budget is spent in Anchorage. Groceries, hardware, appliances, building supplies, health care, entertainment or personal services -- each and every one of these core commercial products are fiscally "multiplied" by travel that takes place between Cordova and the Anchorage area via the Alaskan Marine Highway System.

We acknowledge right up front that data on the AMHS' Web page reflects the system operates at a loss. What the data doesn't show, however, just like data mined transportation systems like the Glenn Highway or Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, is the enormous second- and third-level fiscal impact of the AMHS services. Whether cash comes from tourists who visit Prince William Sound each year or from the thousands of local passages booked on the ferry system, we know the "Multiplying Effects of Marine Economics" contributes incalculable dollars into hotel rooms, restaurant bills, shopping and medical visits, building supplies, groceries, petroleum and every other commodity. Quite simply, the AMHS ferries touch the financial pocketbook of virtually every Alaskan and are an economic engine for all Alaskans.

In the coming days, as our attention turns to our governor and legislators grappling with the state's fiscal issues, remember that reductions in marine highway services adversely impact the dollars that flow into your own community, regardless of whether your city or town is listed on the ferry schedule. Whether your address is on the coast or in the Interior, all Alaska communities are encouraged to challenge their elected leaders to truly examine the fiscal impact of the AMHS on their own economy. To simply say funding of one of the state's primary transportation systems needs to be reduced because it operates in the red is not a well-researched answer.

Transportation science shows that roads usually have a direct, positive correlation on the economy of a community, region, state or nation. The AMHS is Alaska's water-based road, directly or through extension serving or impacting every city, town and community in Alaska. To borrow elements of the expression going around Alaska, we respectfully ask you don't try and cut your way out of this through large-scale reductions in AMHS services. It will only compound the problem.

Randy E. Robertson is city manager for Cordova, a community located on the east side of Prince William Sound.

The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com or click here to submit via any web browser.

Randy Robertson

Randy Robertson is the city manager for Cordova.

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