PRESS RELEASE
ANCHORAGE--Passage of Senate Joint
Resolution 137 could clear the way for
possible paving of the. Canadian portion
of the Alaska Highway, it was revealed
by State Highways Commissioner D. A,
McKinnon, The resolution, which would
authorize funds for a highway needs
study in Alaska, has been passed by
the Senate and is currently under study
by the House Public Works Committee,
McKinnon presented this view during
a speech delivered -October 11, 1962*-to
Chet and Bessie invite you to
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in the warmth of lur
y
FIREPLACE
COPPER CENTER BAR*
Write-in candidate
Louis D. "Bob" B&nta
invites you to a political.campaign
session the evening October 31st
at GAKONA LODGE. . 7:30 P.M.
REFRESHMENTS AND HALLOWEEN JOKES
THE ORDER OF THE DAY 1.
PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT
a highway session of the annual convention
of the State Chamber of Commerce here.
The needs study,, he said, is ex
tremely important to, enable Alaska to .
attain an integrated system of primary
and secondary highways as well as local
service roads.' Ohe part of the. study,
would be to provide* for, engineering
studies and estimates, in accordance
with treaties or other agreements to
be negotiated, relative to roads in
Canada to connect with Alaska.
”This may be the beginning of a
program to get the Canadian portion of
the Alaska Highway paved,” McKinnon said.
Earlier in the speech he summarized
the goals and accomplishments of the De
partment of Highways since its organiza
tion six months ago. The new organiza
tion, McKinnon said, allows for more
rapid progress in the overall highway
building program.
On the local level, for instance,
each of the five districts throughout
the state has been given the authority
and responsibility for the supervision
of all activities in their districts*
uIn other words, the districts have been
given the tools to carry out their re- > '
sponsibilities,n he said. Each'district
follows the same organization as uhe de
partment, a logical division of highway
functions among four principal divisions —
administrative, pre-construction, con- •
struction and maintenance. This parallel
organization allowed for smooth develop
ment of the new: department,' with clearly
defined lines of responsibility and
authority, -and has: done more than any
thing else, he said, to accelerate the
highway engineering and construction
program. .
During the'first six months of
organization the pre-construction divi
sion of the ‘department brought 35 pro
jects to the construction stage and ad
vertised them for' bids by contractors.<
In addition, McKinnon said that 52 more 1
projects would be advertised prior to
July 1, 1963*
This brings•the total construction
value of projects-that will be adver
tised from July 1, 1962 to July 1, 1963,'
to approximately $60,000,000. Coupled
with the projects that were let from the
Department of Highways approximately
$70,000,000 worth of active construction
contracts next summer.
This program, McKinnon said, will
create the largest construction year in
Alaska.