Alaskan Town Gets Its Road; Opinions Go Both Ways
A tunnel linking the Prince William Sound port of Whittier to the Alaska road system opened Wednesday amid protests, high wind and pelting rain.
Until now, the town has been accessible only by rail or water. About 1.4 million visitors a year are projected to pour into the quiet community en route to the sound and its glaciers, dense forests, soaring peaks and abundant wildlife.
“The state has not listened to the people on this,” said protester Joanna Reichhold of Cordova as she huddled in the middle of the road in the rain. “I plan on living in Prince William Sound the rest of my life. It is the most beautiful place on Earth.”
About two dozen environmental activists were kept two miles from the tunnel entrance by Alaska state troopers. Three of the protesters chained themselves together and sat in the road hoping to block traffic, but troopers routed traffic around them.
Demonstrators sat in the road about 40 minutes before leaving voluntarily.
Gov. Tony Knowles and about 300 visitors, including politicians, railroad officials, transportation department workers and Whittier residents, gathered inside the 2.5-mile-long tunnel.
Knowles cut a ribbon that spanned the entrance to the tunnel through Maynard Mountain in the Chugach Range.
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