Marydale Avenue in Soldotna may be getting an overhaul after its reconstruction was designated nearly $4 million in funds from a recent trio of appropriations bills approved by the United States Senate Appropriations Committee.
According to a press release from the office of U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, “$3.9 million was designated to reconstruct Marydale Avenue from its intersection with the Kenai Spur Highway.” The release deems the reconstruction necessary because the road “serves as the primary access point to the medical, retail, government, and educational sectors in the core of Soldotna.”
“I think this is wonderful news for our community. I’m thrilled to see this advancing,” said Soldotna City Council Member Jordan Chilson. “We continue to look for any opportunity we can to fund maintenance of capital infrastructure like roads like that. So historically, the state used to pick up the tab for a lot of that with local communities. And then starting some years back, we’ve had to really kind of refocus and prioritize where we shift our funds for things like road reconstruction because it is extremely expensive.”
The federal dollars would provide a means for the much-needed reconstruction without saddling Soldotna residents with the bill.
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee voted last week to advance three bills for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025) that contain significant investments in Alaska priorities. The measures are for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Science, Justice, and State and foreign operations. All three were approved in committee on a strong bipartisan basis and now advance to the Senate floor for consideration.
“Whether affordable housing, safer air travel, modern infrastructure, fisheries health, or public safety, I worked hard to address Alaska’s most pressing needs and priorities through these bills,” Murkowski said. “While the investments they contain aren’t final, yet, I will continue to push for their enactment so that communities across Alaska can realize the significant benefits they will provide.”
The THUD bill funds an array of projects and programs to address Alaska’s needs across all modes of transportation, affordable housing, and critical community infrastructure.
Murkowski added funding to continue the Denali Commission’s Access and Waterfront Programs, which address rural transportation needs and the planning, design, and construction of ports and harbors in Alaska’s coastal communities.
The bill also provides funding for discretionary grant programs funded by the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) that have benefitted Alaska. The measure includes $550 million in additional funding for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Discretionary Grant program, which provides investment opportunities for road, rail, transit, and port projects. Since the enactment of the IIJA, the RAISE program has funded 10 projects in Alaska totaling approximately $125 million.