Cordova asks residents to push state to fully fund two road projects in 2027

Cordova Public Works Director Kevin Johnson asked residents and City Council members Wednesday to press the state to fully fund two city road projects in 2027.

The projects, Second Street reconstruction and Whitshed Road pedestrian improvements, are in the Alaska Department of Transportation's draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, the state's four-year list of federally funded transportation projects. The draft lists about $13 million for Second Street and $14.8 million for Whitshed Road in 2027, most of it federal highway money. Each also carries a local match: about $1.9 million for Second Street and about $352,000 for Whitshed Road.

Both projects were chosen for the state's Community Transportation Program in 2019, according to the draft.

Johnson told the council the 2027 amounts are not full funding. Second Street is almost fully funded, he said, while a larger gap remains for Whitshed Road.

Both projects are fully designed. Whitshed Road has gone to bid and a contractor has been selected. Second Street is set to go to bid in December, pending federal highway approval. Johnson said both are ready to start in spring 2027.

A delay would raise project costs and the city's local share, he said. "As we all know, the longer you wait to fund a project and push it down the road, the more those projects increase in cost," Johnson said.

He said state staff are very willing to fund both projects. "They just need that little extra nudge to make that final decision," he said. "So as Cordovans are known to do, get out, comment, let them know."

He also warned of a busy 2027 construction season. "It's going to be a short amount of pain for a lot of benefit to this community, but there is going to be some major disruptions in '27 while all these projects are going on," he said.

Comments on the draft are due by 5 pm Oct. 29 through the department's online comment form.