Cascade Point
dubious developments threaten Daxanáak | berners bay
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A TEXTBOOK BOONDOGGLE
Cascade Point is, at the most superficial level, an expensive, unpopular and unnecessary infrastructure project, a plan to build a redundant ferry terminal to serve Juneau and upper Lynn Canal connections. Dig a little deeper and it’s easy to see the project benefits private interests, not the public, at the expense of public dollars and some of Juneau’s most beloved public lands.
A BAD IDEA FROM ALL ANGLES
PUBLIC MONEY FOR PRIVATE BENEFIT
The Cascade Point Ferry Terminal infrastructure has been lauded by a Canadian mining company and other corporations.
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Grande Portage Resources, the Canadian junior mining company that owns the project, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Goldbelt, Inc., the land owners of Cascade Point, to build an ore dock. They have celebrated the State of Alaska’s commitment to build infrastructure for a proposed ferry terminal at Cascade Point, starting with road building to the Goldbelt land. Kensington Mine would also benefit from the extension of the road and infrastructure at Cascade Point, reducing the commute of the daily shuttle boat, also operated by Goldbelt.
The State of Alaska, under Governor Dunleavy, continues to make a precedent of marrying private interests with State funds in a push to privatize services and incentivize extractive developments. As the state only taxes mining pennies on the dollar, this partnership greatly benefits the mining company and Goldelt while destabilizing AMHS service and risking federal match dollars for transportation projects across the state.
AN UNPOPULAR PROJECT
This project originated internally at DOT, along with private partnerships, rather than being rooted in community need.
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With more than 90% of comments opposing the project and both Haines and Skagway voicing opposition, this is a project not many seem to want. It seems the majority of fans are businesses who would directly benefit from the project. This project was birthed in 2019 from internal DOT emails that aimed to resurrect alternatives of the former Juneau Access project. From there, DOT began scoping and engaging engineers to conduct surveys and draft designs. In 2023 they initiated private corporate partnerships with Goldbelt, Inc. and Grande Portage Resources, the mining company behind the New Amalga mine at the Herbert glacier. In summer 2025 DOT put out a request for proposals for a contractor who would take the plan from 35% design build to reality; they contracted K&E Alaska Inc., an Oregon-based company with an office in Sitka. They began broadcasting intent to break ground in July 2026.
A BAD INVESTMENT FOR AMHS
The funds allocated for this project could be used to improve Alaska Marine Highway System infrastructure and service.
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The real needs of the Alaska Marine Highway System continue to be updating the aged fleet, ensuring access to quality engineers, stabilizing the sailing schedule, and creating standardized service across vessels and ports and funding should be prioritized to these identified necessities. This highlights an equity issue: the proposed circuit serves only three communities: Juneau, Haines, and Skagway — the latter two have come out against the proposal. This means that other Southeast communities are likely to see continued erosion of their already compromised services. This becomes a serious issue for health and safety when people in rural communities cannot get timely medical care or secure trips for grocery restocks. This is our highway and Governor Dunleavy has spent entire tenure trying to dismantle it. His administration’s push to get “longer roads to shorter ferry routes” remains out of touch with the lifeways of Southeast Alaskans.
A BAD INVESTMENT FOR ALASKA
This mega-project uses scarce state dollars that could go to infrastructure elsewhere and risked matching funds
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When Governor Dunleavy surprised legislators by vetoing the reallocation of funds previously earmarked for extending Juneau’s road, $600 million in federal match funds for statewide transportation projects were put at risk, with statewide implications.
DANGER TO CULTURAL SITES
The design-build process conducted by DOT had contracts secured and funds allocated before Tribes were consulted.
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Federal trust responsibilities with Tribes mandate that Tribal consultation must happen early in the design of a project so outcomes are shaped by Indigenous input. Although the State of Alaska finally acknowledged federally recognized Tribes in 2022, no substantive policies have been put into place to ensure Tribal sovereignty is respected in this manner. On projects without federal funding or permitting it is up to the discretion of each state agency how much and in which manner they will work with Tribes.
However, Cascade Point does require federal permitting, even at Stage 1, because bridge construction over Cascade Creek (an anadromous stream) impacts the Waters of the United States, requiring a 404 permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). DOT filed for their 404 February 4, 2026, which will only now trigger the Tribal consultation process.
This sequence either preemptively ignores Tribal feedback or takes on the risk of wasting public dollars changing plans.
disregard for standard process
This out of order process had contracts signed before public comments or feasibility studies were completed.
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Before public comment was solicited, without Tribal consultation and without any form of feasibility study completed, contracts were signed and millions of dollars committed. With one public comment period completed — yielding 92% opposition to the project — DOT has declared naysayers uninformed and claims to need to do more convincing. And when the State finally published its report from Economist Ed King, it was lacking in evidence to support the project, unless the goal is supporting mining.
KEEP CURRENT ON CASCADE POINT
Check out recent updates on Cascade Point and related developments, as well as SEACC’s work fighting for accountable government and protecting public lands.
About berners bay
Berners Bay, Daxanáak in Tlingit, meaning “between two points,” is an incredibly rich estuary system, teeming with life. Located about 45 miles northwest of Juneau, 35 miles south of Haines, the Bay is home of the Wooshkeetaan Auke people who have lived, hunted, fished, and gathered berries at the Bay for thousands of years. Berners Bay was designated an Aquatic Resource of National Importance by the EPA during the Clinton Administration and is considered one of Southeast Alaska and the nation’s most valuable public resources.
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The Bay is about 3.5 miles wide at the entrance, between Point Bridget and Point St. Marys. It runs in a north-northwest direction for 6 miles from Point Bridget, with a width of 3 miles opposite Point St. Marys. The bay is surrounded by Tongass National Forest, which is home to black and brown bears, wolves, moose, and mountain goats.
During the spring runs, herring and eulachon (a small energy-rich forage fish) flood into Berners Bay to spawn in numbers estimated to be between 10-20 million. The fish are followed by humpback whales, harbor seals, sea lions, killer whales and tens of thousands of shorebirds seeking to feed on these fish. Additionally, up to 600 bald eagles come to feast off the “silver tide” of eulachon, forming the second largest congregation of bald eagles in North America, second only to the Chilkat River.
