Legislature(2001 - 2002)
02/08/2001 01:10 PM House TRA
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 8, 2001
1:10 p.m.
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HIGHWAY AND ROAD SAFETY, WINTER TRAILS STUDY, GRAVEL TO ASPHALT
PROGRAM
TAPES
01-12, SIDES A & B
CALL TO ORDER
REPRESENTATIVE VIC KOHRING, Chair, called the House
Transportation Standing Committee to order at 1:10 p.m.
PRESENT
Committee members present were Representatives Kohring, Kapsner,
Kookesh, Scalzi, Wilson, and Ogan. Also present was
Representative Chenault.
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION
MARTIN OTT, Chief, Planning & Administrative Services, Northern
Region Office, Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
(DOT&PF), provided the committee with copies of the Draft Winter
Transportation Study prepared by DOT&PF. He then provided a
brief overview of the report.
DENNIS POSHARD, Special Assistant, Office of the Commissioner,
DOT&PF, provided preliminary comments regarding the "State
Road/Highway Safety" agenda items. He introduced DOT&PF
teleconference attendees that would answer committee questions.
AVES D. THOMPSON, Director, Division of Measurement Standards &
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, DOT&PF, provided information
regarding commercial truck inspections and enforcement actions
for non-complying vehicles.
MURPH O'BRIEN, Assistant to the Director of the Central Region
Office, DOT&PF, provided information describing the status of
the "Palmer Hayflats" lighting of the Glenn Highway. He stated
that DOT&PF had started preliminary engineering to identify
project costs to construct the light system and to obtain
federal project approval. He also addressed that the Matanuska-
/Susitna Borough and the Matanuska Electric Cooperative had
agreed to pay for the operations and maintenance costs for a
three-year start-up period.
CHAIR KOHRING inquired whether any other communities had to pay
for operating street lights along state roads and highways and
what was going to happen after the three-year agreement was up.
MR. O'BRIEN stated that no other communities were paying for
lighting and that after the three-year period, DOT&PF would
assume the operations and maintenance costs.
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN emphasized his frustration that although $1
million was appropriated three years ago, DOT&PF has not
completed the project. He asked when the construction would
occur.
MR. O'BRIEN stated that it would be placed into the Fiscal Year
02 construction program.
REPRESENTATIVE CHENAULT expressed concerns about inadequate
winter road maintenance in the Nikiski area on the Kenai
Peninsula, especially in light of the closing of the DOT&PF
Nikiski Maintenance Facility a few years ago. He added that he
knew the few DOT&PF maintenance workers in the area and that
they were doing the best they could based on manpower and
equipment limitations.
FRANK WINTERS, Director, Statewide Maintenance, DOT&PF, stated
that equipment was staged at the Nikiski facility, but that due
to a fire when the equipment was previously stored elsewhere,
some of the Nikiski equipment had been destroyed. He expressed
gratitude that the legislature had not cut DOT&PF maintenance
funds last year and hoped that would be the case this year as
well.
REPRESENTATIVE OGAN raised the issue of crack sealing as a
preventative road maintenance item that was not being done. He
inquired whether DOT&PF would support legislation that would
specifically allow state prisoners to be trained and to perform
crack sealing.
FRANK RICHARDS, State Maintenance Engineer, DOT&PF, described
crack sealing procedures and agreed that not enough was being
done, which resulted in more significant maintenance issues. He
stated that crack sealing was not a highly technical skill.
MR. POSHARD stated that the DOT&PF would be happy to look at any
proposed legislation that would address using prisoners to do
maintenance.
MR. RICHARDS provided a description of the construction
performed when paving an existing gravel road and how it was
more basic and cheaper than an engineered road construction
project. He provided a handout entitled "Gravel to Pavement
Program," which listed the roads paved and under contract to be
paved under this program, which started in 1998. Mr. Richards
stated that one primary purpose of the program was to reduce
DOT&PF maintenance costs for grading. He added that other
considerations were made for air quality of nearby residents and
for improving travel.
REPRESENTATIVE SCALZI questioned the long-term maintenance costs
of these roads in that paved roads cost more to maintain than
gravel roads after about 7-10 years, which is why local
governments were hesitant to accept state roads paved under this
program for future maintenance.
MR. RICHARDS agreed that after the 7-10 year period, maintenance
costs were higher for paved roads.
REPRESENTATIVE SCALZI expressed concern for what might be
happening to the long-range DOT&PF maintenance budget and that
the DOT&PF and the committee should be concerned about this
issue.
CHAIR KOHRING asked if DOT&PF reviewed the proposed Community
Gravel to Asphalt Program, in the committee meeting packet, and
what was DOT&PF's opinion of it.
MR. POSHARD answered that the DOT&PF had not looked into the
subject in any detail, but would be willing to work with the
committee on the concept.
COMMITTEE ACTION
The committee took no action.
ADJOURNMENT
CHAIR KOHRING adjourned the House Transportation Standing
Committee meeting at 2:22 p.m.
NOTE: The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes were
taken. A copy of the tape(s) and log notes may be obtained by
contacting the House Records Office at State Capitol, Room 3,
Juneau, Alaska 99801 (mailing address) (907) 465-2214, and
after adjournment of the second session of the Twenty-Second
Alaska State Legislature this information may be obtained by
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.
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