Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage
The Matanuska Susitna Borough’s Port MacKenzie Rail Extension project has received $35 million in state funding. The appropriation was signed into law Thursday by Governor Parnell. The infrastructure project is expected to create thousands of jobs and will shorten the rail distance from the Interior to tidewater.
The rail spur will connect Port MacKenzie to the Alaska Railroad at an, as yet, undetermined point. A federal railroad board will make the final decision on where the connection will be. The state funding will be used to build the first miles of rail and to purchase right of way for the final route.
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