JUNEAU — Lawmakers from Fairbanks said it’s probably too late to address last week’s Borough Assembly request for help moving railroad track out of town.

The assembly’s resolution urges the Legislature to spend $10 million on pre-construction work needed for a possibly track reroute, which would itself cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Rep. Jay Ramras, R-Fairbanks, supported the proposed project’s intent but said it won’t eclipse lawmakers’ focus on other projects, notably a proposed university science center and a proposed Tanana River bridge near Salcha.

The assembly resolution, approved late last month, urges the Legislature to fund the study but stops short of identifying the project as the borough’s top priority. Municipal officials in Fairbanks and university leaders from around the state had previously cited the proposed Fairbanks-based science center as their key request this year.

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Fairbanks, a member of the Finance Committee, said he’s familiar with the proposed reroute but suspects the assembly’s request arrived too late this session. Rep. Tammie Wilson, R-North Pole, said she generally backs the project’s concept but agreed with Kelly’s assessment that state funding won’t arrive this year.

Lawmakers are set to adjourn in mid-April and work is already under way on drafts of the state Senate’s construction budget.

Contact staff writer Chris Eshleman at ceshleman@newsminer.com.