Gov. Mike Dunleavy says that he’s going to commit Fiscal Year 2023 funding for the Silvertip Maintenance Station. He made that announcement from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center on Tuesday. According to a press release, the governor’s Office of Management and Budget will allocate Federal Highway Administration funding from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act to the station.
In the press conference, Dunleavy said, “We’re working hard and we’re going to ensure that there’s continued funding for Silvertip Maintenance going well into the future. This highway is too important. I hope that we can take care of it from distant, distant stations. We had a lot of snow this winter, we recognize that. We’re committed to making sure that we have the funding and we make this a very, very safe road year round for all Alaskans. We’re going to make sure that, again, that public safety itself from a comprehensive perspective continues at the forefront of what we do at the state of Alaska.”
The governor previously allocated federal funds to the Silvertip Station earlier this year for this winter and next winter. The reopening of Silvertip comes after Sen. Peter Micciche sent the governor a letter detailing the reasons to reopen the maintenance station saying that safe travel is of great importance on the Seward and Sterling Highways because it’s a critical transportation corridor.
Sen. Micciche in the same press conference said, “Governor thank you for your dedication to the Kenai. We’ve spent lots of quality time together trying to find some solutions in the state. I’m proud of the job that you’re doing. Thank you for the dedication, your dedication to the people of the Kenai that the Silvertip reopening is a big deal. We all worked together, of course, on that issue, but the people of the Kenai feel your commitment to us.”
Silvertip Maintenance Station was reopened in December.