20 years ago

The Alaska Marine Highway System said it might base the M/V Tustumena permanently in Homer. Under a new draft plan reviewing ferry service, the AMHS said new fast ferries would be able to do Prince William Sound runs, freeing up the Tustumena to focus on the Homer-Seldovia-Kodiak run and the summer Aleutian Chain run. Eliminating a run from Homer to Seward would save time. Relocating the Tustumena to Homer would generate about $9 million in revenue. The Tustumena had been based in Seward since 1964, and officials there said they were not willing to give it up without a fight.

— From the issue of Dec. 14, 2000

30 years ago

Highway planners nixed rerouting the Sterling Highway so it would bypass the center of Anchor Point. The public expressed an overwhelming desire to keep the highway through Anchor Point. Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities planners also scaled back a plan to make the Sterling Highway five lanes from Baycrest Hill to Pioneer Avenue. The plan called for three lanes, one down and two uphill, plus a separate paved pedestrian path to the top of Baycrest Hill. Construction was planned to start in 1993.

Planner Murph O’Brien said sometime by 2010 the highway between Anchor Point and Homer would need to be widened. He said there were plans to expand the highway from Anchor Point all the way to Homer to four lanes, but he didn’t see the need for that before 2005.

— From the issue of Dec. 13, 1990

50 years ago

The issue from Dec. 10, 1970, is missing from the Homer News archives.