If a road was built between Haines and Skagway along the water, two ferry stops could be eliminated. Currently, the ferries stop at Haines, then Skagway and again at Haines. The current road plan calls for a shuttle ferry to stop at Haines, then Skagway and again at Haines.
There are several advantages of this road.
• Cost for the two stops — Skagway and a second one at Haines — would be eliminated.
• People from Haines could work the tourist industry in Skagway.
• More tourists would probably visit both cities if they don’t have to get on and off of the ferry.
• People traveling to Whitehorse could start driving from Haines instead of having to wait for the ferry to go to Skagway.
• Construction jobs would be created when the road is constructed.
The questions are, “Can the engineers build a road there”? “Can the current funding for a road be transferred to this project to build a road between Haines and Skagway and would there be enough money to build a ferry terminal at Cascade Point”? If a ferry terminal was built at Cascade Point, would enough time be saved that Sitka could be included in the day boat route?
Gary Miller,
Juneau
• Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire.