Reconstruction of Marydale Avenue in Soldotna and upgrades to Soldotna’s drinking water infrastructure are among the projects Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has funded in two bills heading to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
Murkowski’s office celebrated four bills on Monday that fund projects in Alaska, including two in Soldotna.
The first comes out of the subcommittee that controls the budgets of the U.S. Department of the Interior and other similar agencies, like the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The bill includes $900,000 for Soldotna’s utility department to upgrade one of the city’s four groundwater wells to improve drinking water quality. According to the city, the wells supply water to more than 1,500 water service connections and more than 300 fire hydrants.
Murkowski said in a press release, “These upgrades will ensure communities have clear, reliable drinking water for years to come.”
The same bill includes $4 million for Seward to replace water mains lined with asbestos and $650,000 for Homer to replace part of a drinking water supply line. That’s in addition to over $1.8 million for planning and design work for a multi-use trail between Seward and Moose Pass that will be part of the Alaska Long Trail.
The second bill comes from the subcommittee that oversees the U.S. departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. It includes $3.9 million for the reconstruction of Marydale Avenue in Soldotna from where the road intersects with the Kenai Spur Highway. The project has been one of Soldotna’s top priorities in recent years.
Marydale Avenue was built in 1981 and partially upgraded in 2001. According to the city, it’s not cost effective to continue investing in improvements to the road, even though pedestrian accommodations are below standard. The road provides primary access to Soldotna High School, Central Peninsula Hospital and the Kenai Peninsula Borough building, among other facilities.
Even though the projects were included in the bills voted out of committee, it’s not guaranteed that they’ll be funded. The bills must still be considered and passed by the full U.S. Senate.
