The spectacular 228,030-acre Resurrection Roadless Area on the Chugach National Forest is home to brown bears and wild salmon populations, the dramatic Juneau Creek and Juneau Falls watershed and the historic, world-class Resurrection Pass National Recreation Trail. Both king and sockeye salmon inhabit Juneau Creek, which is also an important salmon feeding area for the Kenai Peninsula brown bear-listed by the State of Alaska as a species of special concern.
The state's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is proposing to realign and upgrade the Sterling Highway (to meet federal standards for the 65 mile-per-hour speed limit), cutting the highway into Resurrection Roadless Area and crossing Juneau Creek above Juneau Falls. Four of the nine alternatives under consideration would have impacts on the Juneau Creek watershed, and one of those alternatives would affect up to 23 acres of the Mystery Creek Wilderness Area on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
If the agency builds the road above Juneau Falls, the Kenai Borough will have access to 1,000 acres of state land, which would likely be converted into a housing subdivision. The combination of highway access and the subdivision could have serious ramifications for the Kenai Peninsula brown bear population and other wildlife species. It would also fragment important wildlife habitat and have negative impacts on Resurrection Pass National Recreation Trail.
The Roadless Rule does not completely prohibit federal highway projects such as the Sterling Highway realignment and upgrade. However, it grants an exception only if "no other reasonable and prudent alternative exists."
