Legislature(2017 - 2018)BUTROVICH 205
02/13/2018 01:30 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Design and Construction Update for the Northern Region | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 13, 2018
1:33 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Bert Stedman, Chair
Senator Anna MacKinnon
Senator Click Bishop
Senator David Wilson
Senator Dennis Egan
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: Alaska Department of Transportation and Public
Facilities Design and Constructions Update for the Northern
Region
- HEARD
WITNESS REGISTER
RYAN ANDERSON, Northern Region Director
Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided an overview of the Alaska
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Northern Region
transportation projects.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:33:29 PM
CHAIR BERT STEDMAN called the Senate Transportation Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:33 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators MacKinnon, Wilson, Egan, and Chair Stedman.
^OVERVIEW: Alaska Department of Transportation & Public
Facilities Design and Construction Update for the Northern
Region
OVERVIEW: Alaska Department of Transportation & Public
Facilities Design and Construction Update for the Northern
Region
1:34:03 PM
CHAIR STEDMAN announced that the committee will hear from the
Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
(DOT&PF)-Northern Region regarding design and construction
projects.
1:34:14 PM
RYAN ANDERSON, Regional Director, Northern Region, Alaska
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, Fairbanks,
Alaska, addressed slide 2 in the presentation: Employee
Spotlight-Bandy Milles, Northern Region Employee of the Year,
and pointed out Ms. Milles' involvement with drone technology
for DOT&PF.
He addressed slide 3: Northern Region Area, and referenced as
follows:
• 124 Communities,
• 6 boroughs,
• Over 50 city governments,
• Over 100 tribes,
• 1 metropolitan planning organization (FMATS),
• 8,920 road-lane miles,
• 37 maintenance stations,
• 376 bridges,
• 101 airports.
He said the Northern Region has a vast boundary area that
extends from the Arctic Ocean to the north, Bering and Chuckchi
seas to the west, the Canadian border to the east, Yukon Delta
and Alaska Range to the south, and the "pipeline corridor" south
to Valdez.
He detailed that the Northern Region has several major routes:
Dalton Highway, Elliott Highway, Steese Highway, Richardson
Highway, Alaska Highway, Tok Cutoff, Parks Highway, and the
Glenn Highway. He emphasized that DOT&PF focuses on partnering
with local governments to receive good input and to move forward
on projects with the region's 124 communities.
1:38:20 PM
He addressed slide 4: Regional Focus Areas, and referenced the
points that he will cover in his presentation as follows:
• Results Based Alignment (RBA):
• 2018 Construction Season;
• 2017 Accomplishments;
• Leveraging Technology;
• Innovative Contracting,
• Project Teams Pilot Program.
MR. ANDERSON addressed slide 5: Results Based Alignment (RBA),
and referenced as follows:
• Goal: A service delivery framework to measure the
efficiency and effectiveness of the services delivered in
support of our mission.
• Regional Measures for Project Delivery:
o Programmed-dollars planned versus delivered.
o Average project development time.
o Design/construction costs at award.
o CIP dollars: contracting versus in-house.
He addressed slide 6: RBA Program Dollars Planned Versus
Delivered (FFY2016 vs FFY2017), and referenced as follows:
• FFY2016-Planned: $217,861,000:
o FHWA: $170,303,000;
o FAA: $47,558,000.
• FFY2016-Delivered: $168,132,175:
o FHWA: $93,489,628;
o FAA: $74,642,547.
• FFY2017-Planned: $259,624,000:
o FHWA: $203,624,000;
o FAA: $56,000,000.
• FFY2017-Delieverd: $190,295,000:
o FHWA: $143,132,000;
o FAA: $47,163,000.
1:41:28 PM
He addressed slide 7: RBA Average Project Development Time from
Project Initiation to Bid. He explained that "modernize" denotes
the more complex projects for road construction that may involve
additional environmental processes. He added that "Preserve"
identifies the mill-and-pave jobs. He explained the average
project development time as follows:
• 04/01/16-09/30/16:
o Modernize: 51 months,
o Preserve: 56 months.
• 10/01/16-03/31/17:
o Modernize: 86 months,
o Preserve: 78 months.
• 04/01/17-09/30/17:
o Modernize: 53 months,
o Preserve: 33 months.
MR. ANDERSON addressed slide 8: RBA-Design/Construction Costs at
Award Reported upon Project Bid Opening, and referenced as
follows:
• 04/01/16-09/30/16:
o Modernize: 26 percent,
o Preserve: 17 percent.
• 10/01/16-03/31/17:
o Modernize: 39 percent,
o Preserve: 11 percent.
• 04/01/17-09/30/17:
o Modernize: 7 percent,
o Preserve: 9 percent.
He explained that the design cost "spikes" were attributed to
projects that have been around for a long time. He noted that
some projects have been around since the 1980s and having
projects around for a long period of time drives costs up. He
explained that projects are affected by changing regulations
that requires work to be redone.
1:43:48 PM
He addressed slide 9: RBA-CIP Dollars to Contracting Versus In-
house for July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017 and referenced as
follows:
• Contractor payments:
o $212.2 million,
o 78 percent.
• Consultant payments:
o $19.6 million,
o 7 percent.
• In-house design costs:
o $12.6 million,
o 5 percent.
• In-house construction costs:
o $25.8 million,
o 10 percent.
MR. ANDERSON summarized that contract work is approximately 85
percent of yearly expenditures. He explained that the Northern
Region uses the information to balance in-house and contract
work. He referenced a national report that transportation
departments throughout the country contract-out 50 percent to 70
percent of their work for efficiency purposes.
He addressed slide 10: 2018 Construction Season, and referenced
as follows:
• 25 rural Northern Region projects.
• 8 projects continuing into second year of construction.
• 6 new projects already bid.
• 9 new projects funded and will be ready to bid in time for
2018 season.
• 2 new projects will be ready to bid but are not currently
funded.
1:45:45 PM
He addressed slide 11: 2018 Construction Season: Fairbanks-area
projects, and referenced as follows:
• 14 projects.
• 2 projects continuing into second year of construction.
• 2 new projects already bid.
• 8 new projects funded and will be ready to bid in time for
2018 season.
• 2 new projects will be ready to bid but are not currently
funded.
He addressed slide 12: 2018 Construction-Highways: Elliott
Highway MP 0-12 Rehabilitation. He noted that the Elliot Highway
is in poor condition, primarily due to frozen subsurface
conditions. He provided road rehabilitation details to the
committee. He disclosed that the project's cost will be between
$20 million to $30 million and the build will occur in March
2018.
He addressed slide 13: 2018 Construction-Bridges: Alaska Highway
MP 1309-Tok River Bridge Replacement. He emphasized that bridges
are the Northern Region's focal point and noted that the region
has 25 or 26 bridges that have deficiencies of some sort. He
detailed that the Tok River Bridge at MP 1309 was built in 1944
and is a pinch-point on the Alaska Highway. He noted that the
bridge's 15 foot, 11-inch clearance is the highway's lowest
clearance and does restrict what can be hauled on the Alaska
Highway. He said the project will get bid on and go to
construction the summer of 2018.
1:47:46 PM
MR. ANDERSON addressed slide 14: 2018 Construction-Fairbanks
Area: Old Nenana Highway/Ester Hill Rehabilitation. He provided
road rehabilitation details to the committee. He noted that
project is an example of a community-supported project where a
lot of community input was provided.
He addressed slides 15-16: 2018 Construction-Fairbanks Area:
University Avenue Rehabilitation and Widening. He noted that the
project has been around since the 1980s. He explained that a
team approach was initiated to try new things to move the
project forward. He disclosed that innovative contracting was
attempted where a contractor was hired through the CMGC process
that allowed for a contractor to be brought onboard during
design to get work done quickly. He added that another approach
tried was offering a new right-of-way incentives program to land
owners to acquire right-of-way land from owners more quickly to
keep the project going forward. He noted that the intent is also
to replace the Chena River bridge as well.
He addressed slide 17: 2018 Construction - Fairbanks Area:
Farmers Loop Resurfacing. He noted that the project started in
2017.
1:51:10 PM
He addressed slide 18: Fairbanks Metropolitan Area
Transportation System (FMATS) and detailed FMATS' participating
organizations as follows:
• State of Alaska:
o DOT&PF,
o DEC;
• Fairbanks North Star Borough;
• City of Fairbanks;
• City of North Pole;
• Fort Wainwright;
• University of Alaska-Fairbanks;
• Fairbanks International Airport;
• Freight Industry;
• Alaska Railroad Corporation.
He explained that FMATS is the local Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO) for the urbanized portion of the Fairbanks
North Star Borough. He detailed that FMATS was formed in April
2003 as a consensus-based transportation policymaking body after
the Fairbanks area was listed in the Federal Register of
Qualifying Urban Areas for the 2000 Census. He specified that
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal
Transit Administration requires the establishment of MPOs to
facilitate increased local control of transportation
investments. He added that the code of federal regulations and
the U.S. codes, Title 23, primarily stipulate the conditions of
FMATS to receive federal funding. He explained that the MAP-21
followed by the FAST Act set the apportionments for FMATS and
the federal funding that is received. He specified that FMATS
shares in an overall apportionment with communities that are
between 5,000 and 200,000 in population. He said FMAT funds are
dedicated through the Transportation Improvement Program that is
like the STIP and is approved through the FMAT's Technical and
Policy Board who have members from the previously noted
participating organizations. He disclosed that FMAT currently
receives approximately $8 million per year in surface
transportation funds.
1:53:13 PM
SENATOR MACKINNON asked what population is required to form an
MPO.
MR. ANDERSON replied that he does not know the exact number but
noted that an MPO is based on "urban density."
SENATOR MACKINNON pointed out that the threshold for Fairbanks
was 50,000 in addition to a density level. She noted that
smaller communities funding is distributed differently.
CHAIR STEDMAN confirmed that there is Anchorage, Fairbanks, and
everybody else.
MR. ANDERSON addressed slide 19: 2018 Construction-FMATS: 2018
Surface Upgrades. He explained that every year FMATS will go
through and repair roads, replace pavement, and fix drainage
problems. He explained that the program is a staple of a yearly
road upkeep program. He detailed that the 2018 surface upgrades
will address approximately 13 roads at a cost of $3 million.
CHAIR STEDMAN addressed the life of asphalt and inquired if
DOT&PF has experienced any asphalt-life issues in the Northern
Region as far as excessive wear from studded tires or general
wear-and-tear. He inquired on the region's rock sources, rock
densities, and hard aggregate supply levels to extend the life
of asphalt.
MR. ANDERSON replied that Fairbanks has different considerations
for asphalt as in other areas in the state. He noted that
Fairbanks does not have as much studded-tire usage due to area's
flat topography. He detailed that the Fairbanks area does have a
lot of asphalt wear-and-tear from the cold and the freeze-and-
thaw cycles. He added the Fairbanks area has a lot of undulating
surfaces from frozen sub-surfaces and movement. He disclosed
that the typical life of asphalt life in Fairbanks is
approximately 10 to 15 years. He added that aggregate in
Fairbanks is good with a lot of alluvial sources in the area. He
noted that the Fairbanks areas does not have to struggle with
sources for hard rock that Anchorage struggles with. He added
that the aggregate sources in the rural areas is a different
story where there is a challenge for materials and noted that
some areas require rock to be barged in.
1:56:39 PM
SENATOR BISHOP joined the committee meeting.
SENATOR MACKINNON asked what oil product is being used on
asphalt. She inquired if the oil product is Alaska-based.
MR. ANDERSON replied that a lot of products come from North
Pole. He noted that DOT&PF does not specify in its contracts
that oil products be Alaska-based and added that specifications
are performance-based.
He addressed slide 20: 2018 Construction-FMATS: Yukon Drive
Improvements. He provided construction details to the committee
that will be occurring in the university area in Fairbanks.
He addressed slide 21: 2018 Accomplishments-FMATS: Noble Street
Upgrades. He said Noble Street is one of Fairbanks' primary
north-south connectors and noted that the major project required
utility relocation with road rebuilding. He said projects like
Noble Street are tough with the FMATS program when its annual
apportionment is limited to $8 million. He disclosed that the
Noble Street project cost $11 million to $12 million.
1:59:35 PM
He addressed slides 22-24: Where to Find Construction
Information. He detailed that construction and information is
accessible on the DOT&PF website.
SENATOR BISHOP asked Mr. Anderson to address its "511" weather
information on the DOT&PF website. He opined that DOT&PF's
weather information is better than the National Weather
Service's information. He pointed out that the National Weather
Service is coming to DOT&PF for weather information.
MR. ANDERSON explained that DOT&PF is testing new technologies
in Fairbanks that includes mounting sensors on maintenance
trucks to identify road weather conditions; for example, sensors
indicate when to apply de-icing chemicals. He detailed that
DOT&PF has an agreement with the University of Colorado to allow
DOT&PF to get its own weather forecast based on sensors and
equipment located around Fairbanks. He concurred that the
National Weather Service has approached DOT&PF in accessing its
weather sensors for forecasting.
2:02:11 PM
He addressed slide 25: 2017 Construction Season-Northern Region,
and referenced accomplishments as follows:
• 40 active construction projects in 16 communities.
• Over $300 million in active construction contracts.
• Over $100 million in active design contracts.
He addressed slide 26: Accomplishments-Highways: Parks Highway
MP 239-252. He specified that the project started north of
Denali Park to Healy. He noted that a canyon area on the highway
is safer after the project was completed.
He addressed slide 27: Accomplishments-Highways: Richardson
Highway MP 337-Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) Intersection. He
disclosed that DOT&PF had discussions with the Air Force
regarding the F-35 aircraft that will be coming to Eielson AFB.
He revealed that the Air Force asked for assistance in
establishing a south-base access along the Richardson Highway.
He said the project added turning lanes and reconfigured the
area to provide an intersection to support equipment and supply
deliveries to the base.
2:04:04 PM
He addressed slides 28-30: Accomplishment-Bridges:
• Taylor Highway MP 64-Chicken Creek Bridge.
• Tok Cutoff MP 75-Slana Creek Bridge.
• Richardson Highway:
o MP 235 Ruby Creek,
o MP 295 Banner Creek.
MR. ANDERSON disclosed that seven bridge projects were completed
in 2017 and the focus on bridges continues.
He addressed slide 31: Leveraging Technology: Drones:
• Development of Low Distortion Projections and remote
sensing to support surveying and engineering.
He said DOT&PF is focusing on drone technologies to become
better at acquiring imagery as well as allowing the department
to share data. He detailed the use of drone technology as
follows:
• Susitna River Bridge:
o Drone used to monitor foundation movement.
• Survey projects in Fairbanks to acquire horizontal and
elevation data.
• Check the progress of construction projects, measure
aggregate stockpiles, and to monitor coastal erosion on the
western coast in the villages of Shishmaref and Point Hope.
• Drone projects for surveying have been cost effective where
costs on some projects have been three times less than a
typical survey.
2:07:43 PM
He addressed slide 32: Innovative Contracting-Construction
Manager/General Contractor (CMGC), and referenced as follows:
• Risk Management:
o Project risks are shared and can be minimized when
worked through collaborative team effort.
o DOT&PF retains control over design and contract
administration.
• Cost/Value:
o Risks identified in advance, overall project cost
savings, and cost certainty.
o Maximizes innovation and efficiencies.
o Improved quality with invested contractor as partner.
• Schedule/Funding:
o Permitting assistance on specific contractor methods.
o Collaboration to expedite schedule.
o Cost certainty allows for flexibility in creating work
packages to align with funding.
MR. ANDERSON explained that the intent of CMGC is to leverage
the great experience of DOT&PF's contractors. He explained that
CMGC is an alternative procurement method that is allowed by
FHWA where a contractor is selected for a project early in the
design phase. He said CMGC allows the department to include the
contractor in early project decisions. He added that CMGC allows
DOT&PF and the contractor to equally share a project's risk. He
revealed that contractors that are involved in projects in the
design phases are coming up with innovative solutions for
problems; example, there was innovative thinking in how to
replace the Chena River Bridge for the University Avenue project
in Fairbanks. He added that a contractor assisted on a project
to determine material sites. He pointed out that involving
contractors early in a project's design has also helped with
permitting. He admitted that CMGC is not a procurement method
for every project, but for certain projects the CMGC is
something that DOT&PF continues to test. He detailed that DOT&PF
currently has three active CMGC contracts and the department is
working on putting together two more.
2:10:29 PM
SENATOR BISHOP asked if the chance for a claim is less for the
CMGC process.
MR. ANDERSON replied that he agreed. He explained that through
the CMGC process the price of the contract is negotiated and
estimating includes an estimator group from the state, an
independent estimator, and the contractor to come with the
project's cost. He said the idea is if there is a risk area that
requires more work, the issue is addressed during design to
reduce the risk where the groups involved agree prior to moving
forward. He summarized that the hope is a project sees less
change orders and less claims.
He addressed slide 33: Pilot Program: Project Delivery Teams-
Teaming in Construction for Time and Cost Savings (TICTACS). He
addressed the desired program outcomes as follows:
• Improved delivery timeframes.
• Reduced project costs and greater cost certainty.
• More adaptive project delivery processes recognizing
Alaska's constantly changing transportation needs.
He explained that TICTACS is a pilot program to address how to
keep working and achieving time and cost savings on projects. He
said everyone working to deliver capital projects are challenged
everyday by whether the project is environmental in regulatory
processes that require starts and stops, or how organizational
structures are formed to find pinch-points when something needs
to get done. He noted that some DOT&PF projects take up to eight
years to get done. He said the department questioned itself as
to what would happen if a project was completed in eight months
and what kind of approach would be required. He explained that
the new process would require a team approach to get the desired
program outcomes of an improved delivery timeframes, reduced
project costs, greater cost certainty, and to have a more
adaptive project delivery process that recognizes the constantly
changing transportation needs of Alaska. He said DOT&PF-Norther
Region put a focus on TICTACS and experienced good results.
2:13:26 PM
MR. ANDERSON addressed slide 34: Pilot Program: Project Delivery
Teams-Teaming Successes, and referenced as follows:
• Condensed environmental approval timelines.
• Time savings with focused planning.
• Cost savings with shorter time frames.
• Actively involved communities.
• Innovative contracting.
• Leveraging technology.
• Management team:
o DOT&PF Planning Team,
o State Agencies Team,
o DOT&PF Environmental Team,
o Federal Agencies Team,
o DOT&PF Engineering Team,
o Construction Contractor Team,
o Local Hire/Economic Development Team,
o FHWA/FAA Team.
He said DOT&PF began a different approach by developing project
demonstration teams centered around a core management team where
other entities were brought in to be part of team early on. He
detailed that not only were core competencies for managing
construction considered, but also to bring in outside entities
to contribute their knowledge and expertise as part of the team.
He emphasized that all team members must work towards mutual
goals and operate by a set of rules. The disclosed that the team
has regular check-in meetings and address "task trackers." He
emphasized that success is measured with the team being honest
when success is not occurring. He said information sharing is a
primary tenant of the team approach where technology is used for
information sharing amongst the team.
MR. ANDERSON noted that when DOT&PF-Northern Region came up with
the team approach, the DOT&PF commissioner liked the approach,
but required that the team approach prove results. He detailed
that the DOT&PF-Northern Region came up with 21 projects for the
demonstration team to work on and disclosed that amazing
successes have occurred over the past year.
He said an example of the team approach is a project in Kivalina
that entailed an evacuation and school site access road, a
challenging project that required an environmental document to
be completed. He shared that team approach brought in the
community as well as state and federal agencies early in the
process. He revealed that the team was able to complete the
Kivalina's environment document in 11 months. He noted that
environmental documents like the one in Kivalina can take years
to complete. He said the Kivalina project was big success for
the team approach that required a focused group of people from
both DOT&PF as well as the private sector and outside agencies
to move forward.
2:16:27 PM
SENATOR EGAN thanked the "public facilities" part of DOT&PF for
all the work they did on the state's "world class" Alaska State
Museum in Juneau, [Father Andrew P. Kashevaroff State Library,
Archives, and Museum]. He said the $140 million project was on
time and under budget.
CHAIR STEDMAN noted that a project's overview from the
Southcoast Region of DOT&PF will occur at an upcoming committee
meeting.
He asked if the team approach that Mr. Anderson addressed is
being done in other DOT&PF regions.
MR. ANDERSON replied that the team approach is strictly a pilot
program in the Northern Region. He explained that the Northern
Region is documenting how the team approach is being done as
well as the successes and challenges. He added that the Northern
Region is sharing information with other regions during the
pilot program process.
He pointed out that the time savings on Kivalina's environmental
document project provided cost savings. He noted that design
costs are typically 5 to 10 percent or more, but the Kivalina
project's design cost was less than 1 percent.
2:18:35 PM
CHAIR STEDMAN noted that the Southcoast Region has had projects
that have been out for 10 years and getting the projects down to
5 or 4 years would be a huge success. He commented as follows:
I think it would be incredible if we could turn
projects that fast, we could actually be more
proactive in manipulating the economy in downturns; it
would be a very valuable tool for us as policymakers
to have because if we try to respond to a downturn now
we can't get a project out in time, by then the
economic course has moved on and it makes it
challenging.
I think it is a good idea, I don't know who came up
with the process to try this pilot program, but I
think it is a good idea. I think it would be nice to
have a report back in a year or what have you from
DOT&PF on how successful it was and if it is
successful, what the plans are on spreading it to
other regions because it seems like the Northern
Region is the stellar region of the state as far as
relationships with contractors and productivity.
2:20:08 PM
MR. ANDERSON emphasized that communication is key to the team
approach. He added that the other benefit from the team approach
is having a group of people that are familiar with a project
that mitigates challenges from overturn when people may leave
for one reason or another.
CHAIR STEDMAN recognized that DOT&PF's regions vary in size and
noted the Northern Region's sheer size and scale that it must
deal with. He asked how many contractors the Northern Region has
with $10 million or more in bonding capacity.
MR. ANDERSON replied that he did not know the exact number but
noted that a recent project in western Alaska received seven
bidders. He noted that depending on the project, the Fairbanks
area typically receive 5 to 10 bidders.
CHAIR STEDMAN asked that the committee receive a response back
from DOT&PF's other regions regarding the number of contractors
with bonding capacity of more than $10 million. He admitted that
he was concerned about the number of contractors in the
Southcoast Region. He opined that competition is good, and a
region does not want to be down to one contractor. He asked if
the Northern Region has approximately a half-dozen contractors
that meet the criteria he previously noted.
2:22:22 PM
MR. ANDERSON replied correct.
He addressed slide 35: Pilot Program: Project Delivery Teams,
and referenced as follows:
• Focus on Planning:
o Active federal involvement in planning processes.
o Focusing on project planning will result in projects
that are better-defined with greater cost certainty.
• Team Support:
o Active participation in multidisciplinary teams.
o Advocating for federal agency participation at all
phases of project development.
• Flexibility to Perform Concurrent Processes:
o Reduce duplicative efforts.
o Allow for environmental document and permit
application public reviews to run concurrently.
• Innovative Contracting:
o Alternative procurement.
o Ability to fully integrate alternative procurement
processes at the team's discretion.
• Community Economic Development:
o Community involvement.
o Provide flexibility to maximize local involvement in
projects.
CHAIR STEDMAN asked if Mr. Anderson has been with the Northern
Region for the entirety of his DOT&PF career.
MR. ANDERSON answered yes.
CHAIR STEDMAN asked if the regions cross-train the management to
different regions or is Mr. Anderson "siloed" into the Northern
Region.
MR. ANDERSON replied that DOT&PF does have some cross-training
going on. He noted that there has been talk about a more
"programmatic" way to do cross-training. He disclosed that
resources are shared at times, primarily with construction,
bridge design and some of the other functions. He noted that
DOT&PF personnel are moved around to gain experience.
2:25:28 PM
CHAIR STEDMAN asked how DOT&PF's regions communicate what is
working and what is not working.
MR. ANDERSON explained that the regions meet on a quarterly
basis for a performance measure that is results-based. He
explained that the regions look at results and review measures
regarding design costs, time to get projects out, construction
cost, maintenance, and safety.
CHAIR STEDMAN commented that he was an advocate of the team
approach. He remarked that getting projects down close to a year
is a huge benefit to the organization and state.
MR. ANDERSON agreed with Chair Stedman.
2:27:07 PM
SENATOR WILSON asked if the projects he mentioned that go back
to the 1980s were either project ideas or projects that were
started and never completed.
MR. ANDERSON replied that the projects from the 1980s that
Senator Wilson mentioned is a combination of starting and
stopping, perhaps there was a loss of funding and a project is
put on the shelf for a while. He admitted that when a project is
pulled back out there may have been regulation or design
standard changes that require a redo. He said DOT&PF is trying
to get out of the project-shelfing cycle and noted three
projects that have been around for a long time have been
completed over the past two years. He pointed out that the
Fairbanks' University Avenue Rehabilitation and Widening Project
is an example of a project that has been around for a long time
that will get done in 2018.
SENATOR BISHOP noted that he was recently in Fairbanks and
commended DOT&PF for hauling snow from the city's major
thoroughfares. He referenced slide 35 regarding the "Community
Economic Development" point and asked if local involvement also
includes native corporations.
MR. ANDERSON replied yes. He said there are areas where tribes
contribute match funds, maintenance funds, and right-of-way land
for projects.
2:30:00 PM
SENATOR WILSON addressed community involvement regarding a
possible public-private partnership on the Parks Highway north
of Willow. He noted that Willow has a maintenance facility and
suggested that DOT&PF focus should be south to Palmer and
recommended a private partnership for maintenance north of
Willow should be considered for a more responsive highway
service. He added that a private partnership should also be
considered for other areas north of Fairbanks as well.
MR. ANDERSON answered that on the Parks Highway for the area
noted by Senator Wilson there is a maintenance station in
Cantwell that covers a 30-mile area to the north and south. He
noted that staffing has been reduced but disclosed that there is
no plan by DOT&PF for a public-private partnership.
SENATOR MACKINNON addressed tribal governments being able to
match money. She asked if DOT&PF was assisting regional
corporations or tribal governments in going after a specific set
of federal funds. She asserted that there is a separate pot of
money that Alaska has not competed well for regarding federally
designated grants for tribes.
MR. ANDERSON answered that Transportation Investment Generating
Economic Recover (TIGER) Grant Funds is a funding source that
DOT&PF and the tribal governments have applied for on several
projects. He said DOT&PF typically likes to have communication
with the tribes as well as other groups that includes cities. He
said everyone working together when applying for federal grants
is important so that entities are not competing with one
another.
2:33:02 PM
SENATOR MACKINNON asked of the TIGER Grant Funds is outside of
the normal funding stream.
MR. ANDERSON replied that the TIGER Grant Funds is a separate
program and said he believes the fund is administered by FHWA.
CHAIR STEDMAN asked that the department respond to the
committee's inquiries on major funding sources.
SENATOR MACKINNON addressed slide 15: 2018 Construction-
Fairbanks Area: University Avenue Rehabilitation and Widening.
She noted that Mr. Anderson addressed incentives for right-of-
way acquisition. She asked that Mr. Anderson further explain
about incentives as well as who pays for the incentives.
MR. ANDERSON answered that he will get back to Senator MacKinnon
regarding incentives. He explained that typically the incentive
is time sensitive that is allowable by the FHWA so that federal
funds can be used. He detailed that the program offers cash
incentives if a landowner responds to an offer by DOT&PF in a
certain amount of time.
SENATOR WILSON addressed bridge projects and noted that Mr.
Anderson mentioned that the Northern Region has 26 bridges under
construction or repair. He asked if DOT&PF has a priority or
degradation status for bridges in the Northern Region as well as
on the state level as well.
MR. ANDERSON replied that DOT&PF does have a statewide list that
prioritizes bridges. He noted that environment regulatory
requirements are factors that adds to the time for a project to
be delivered.
2:35:30 PM
CHAIR STEDMAN opined that there is a reasonable chance the state
is going to have a gas-line that will be a huge construction
project where DOT&PF will be at the core in moving goods and
materials to the North Slope. He asked if the Northern Region
has considered preparing for the potential gas-line as well as
its aftermath.
MR. ANDERSON replied that DOT&PF has discussed the gas-line
project. He noted that DOT&PF has a statewide map that shows
projects that are scheduled in the proposed gas-line corridor.
He said when the gas-line construction becomes clearer, DOT&PF
will look at the projects in the gas-line corridor that make
sense to construct before or after the project.
CHAIR STEDMAN said the committee will ask DOT&PF to return and
provide an overview specifically on the gas-line project
regarding preparation for construction. He said a gas-line
overview will provide committee members with a better idea of
what is going on as well as to address mundane topics that will
allow the Senate Finance Committee to focus on pertinent issues.
CHAIR STEDMAN thanked Mr. Anderson and reminded him to provide
continued feedback on the Northern Region's pilot program for
project delivery teams. He emphasized that if the Project
Delivery Teams Project works, he would like to see
implementation in other regions.
2:39:00 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Stedman adjourned the Senate Transportation Standing
Committee at 2:39 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Sen Trans Comm NR Construction Briefing 2018.pdf |
STRA 2/13/2018 1:30:00 PM |