Legislature(2025 - 2026)BUTROVICH 205
02/04/2025 01:30 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): 2025 Construction Outlook and Economic Impact | |
| SB47 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | SB 47 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 47-CHUGACH STATE PARK EASEMENTS
2:11:47 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN reconvened the meeting and announced the
consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 47 "An Act relating to Chugach
State Park; and providing for an effective date."
2:12:14 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL paraphrased from the following sponsor statement
for SB 47:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Senate Bill 47 Sponsor Statement
"An Act relating to Chugach State Park; and providing
for an effective date."
Chugach State Park hosts 1.5 million visitors annually
- more than Denali National Park - and most of the
road traffic leading to the park originates from
outside of the Anchorage Hillside neighborhood. The
roads that provide access to the park, including the
Glen Alps and Upper DeArmoun/Canyon Road corridors are
in need of significant upgrades. In 2023, Anchorage
residents voted to establish the Chugach State Park
Access Service Area (CASA), which includes the
Anchorage Bowl, creating the first mechanism for
financing capital upgrades to roads leading to Chugach
State Park. In 2024, Anchorage voters approved a $4
million bond to fund much needed improvements to
Canyon Road, which is in poor condition. This project
involves pacing and drainage for about 0.6 miles of
the road, extending to the park boundary. About half
of this section lies within Chugach State Park, and
because the municipality cannot bond for improvements
on state-owned land, those portions fall outside the
scope of the bond.
To address this, SB 47 reinforces existing statutes
designating the Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities (DOTPF) as the agency responsible
for maintaining public roads within Chugach State
Park. This ensures DOTPF will continue managing the
maintenance of roads that provide access to this
important state resource. Additionally, the bill
grants the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) the
authority to grant easements or rights-of-ways within
Chugach State Park to municipalities. This provision
allows municipalities to improve access to the park,
provided they meet certain requirements. Before
granting any easements, the DNR commissioner must
provide public notice and hold hearings. If an
easement is granted, responsibility for maintaining
and repairing the road will shift from the state to
the municipality.
By allowing municipalities to assume responsibility
for certain infrastructure improvements, SB 47
provides the flexibility needed to support upgrades
that will increase safety, access, and overall public
enjoyment of Chugach State Park. It creates a pathway
for municipalities to invest in and maintain key
resources within their community, improving access to
trailheads and other park features.
SENATOR GIESSEL noted that Chugach State Park receives the most
visitors out of any state park in Alaska and encompasses 500,000
acres. The park's fee station revenues are nearly $600,000 per
year. One of the park's current projects is a new parking area,
which will bring additional revenue.
2:15:03 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL continued to paraphrase from the sponsor
statement for SB 47. She directed attention to slide 2 of the
presentation titled, "SB 47 Chugach State Park Easements" which
includes a map of Chugach State Park. She noted that Canyon Road
(in red) extends into the park, passes the Rabbit Lake
Trailhead, and continues beyond the park boundaries. The Rabbit
Lake Trailhead (one of the most popular in the park) is the site
of the new parking lot. She pointed out that the green areas of
the map are parkland while the grey areas indicate municipal
roads. She emphasized that the section of Canyon Road that falls
within the boundaries of the park is almost impassable and
allowing the municipality to take over this section of road
would ensure a continuous, maintained road through Chugach State
Park. She directed attention to AS 41.21.122, which states that
DOTPF is responsible for the roads inside the boundaries of the
park; however, she asserted that DOTPF has not been maintaining
this portion of the road. She noted that SB 47 was drafted in
collaboration with the Municipality of Anchorage.
2:18:25 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL noted that there are a few private residences in
the area. There is also wildfire concern in this area. A well-
maintained road is important for safely exiting the park in the
event of a wildfire. She reiterated that SB 47 would allow the
Municipality of Anchorage to take over the portion of Canyon
Road that falls within Chugach State Park. She noted that there
are other entrance points, and those areas could be impacted by
SB 47 if a municipal road is crossing parkland.
2:20:49 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN announced invited testimony on SB 47.
2:21:01 PM
ROGER MARKS, Board of Supervisors, Glen Alps Road Service Area,
Anchorage, Alaska, explained that road service areas (RSA) can
be thought of as small, independent districts on the hillside
that manage area road maintenance (e.g. road repair, grading,
drainage, and snow removal for a particular area). There are
roughly 20 of these, and they are paid for by area property
taxes. He explained that RCAs were set up to decentralize snow
removal. He pointed out that elevation changes result in a
variety of microclimates in the area and decentralized snow
removal has been effective. He said that the roads in this RSA
lead to the Glen Alps and Rabbit Lake trail heads - which are
among the most utilized in the park. He explained that most of
the traffic in this RSA originates outside of the RSA, passing
through it to reach the trailheads. This traffic is the leading
cause of road depreciation. He said that the Anchorage
municipality is not able to bond on roads within the park. Few
residents and a low tax base have resulted in an inability to
cover the costs of the capital upgrades (which he estimates at
millions of dollars). He said that in 2023, a service area was
created to finance infrastructure for access through the park.
In 2024, Anchorage voters voted for a bond to finance upgrades
to Canyon Road. He stated that the road is in terrible shape.
However, the bond cannot be applied to park assets; therefore,
the municipality is seeking an easement from the state. He
emphasized the importance of maintaining the roads to ensure
safety.
2:25:58 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN asked whether the municipality was asking to
trade responsibility for roads with the state of whether the
municipality would like to take over maintenance without
expectation of anything in return.
2:26:18 PM
MR. MARKS clarified that that the municipality is already
maintaining the road, although this is not technically the
municipality's responsibility. He surmised that it would be
inefficient for DOTPF vehicles to work on those short segments
of the road. He indicated that the municipality would continue
to maintain these RSAs, and SB 47 would help to reduce the cost
of the maintenance.
2:26:54 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN commented that Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities (DOTPF) has stopped maintaining certain roads
in his district - and these roads are later leveraged in road
trades. He wondered if SB 47 would set a precedent for DOTPF and
other organizations to transfer their roadwork to municipalities
without a corresponding trade. He said this is a matter of
statewide policy that could have unintended negative
consequences in other areas of the state.
2:28:12 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL noted that DOTPF has not been maintaining the
section of Canyon Road, despite being required by statute to do
so. She said that this is the reason for SB 47.
2:28:36 PM
SENATOR STEDMAN said that he does not see any surface issues
with the request and asked how wide the easement is and how it
is delineated.
2:28:53 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL deferred to Mr. Marks.
MR. MARKS surmised that the easement would be as wide as the
roadbed. He said that portions of the road lay outside the
right-of-way. He surmised that the easement would be roughly 30
feet.
2:29:44 PM
SENATOR STEDMAN said that while he is not familiar with the
applicable statute, he has had experience on planning
commissions. He opined that it would be fine for the community
to come together to fix the road; however, he suggested that
DOTPF be held accountable for the money collected. He surmised
that the money could be used for road maintenance in the region
of the road where the funds are collected.
2:30:40 PM
CHAIR GIESSEL noted that SB 47 has a fiscal note for easement
adjudication, title easement, and survey work. She shared her
understanding that this only needs to be done once and
questioned why the fiscal note includes a charge for multiple
years. She opined that the funds collected from fee boxes would
be sufficient to cover any costs. She stated her intention to
discuss this with DOTPF.
2:31:35 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN held SB 47 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 20250204_AGC Transportation Committee 2025.pdf |
STRA 2/4/2025 1:30:00 PM |
AGC 2025 Construction Outlook presentation to STRA |
| SB 47 Version A.pdf |
STRA 2/4/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 47 |
| SB 47 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
STRA 2/4/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 47 |
| SB 47 Sectional Analysis.pdf |
STRA 2/4/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 47 |
| SB 47 Supporting Map.pdf |
STRA 2/4/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 47 |
| SB 47 (S)TRA Presentation.pdf |
STRA 2/4/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 47 |
| SB047-DNR-DPOR-01-31-25.pdf |
STRA 2/4/2025 1:30:00 PM |
SB 47 |
| 20250203 DOT&PF Letter to Senator Bjorkman.pdf |
STRA 2/4/2025 1:30:00 PM |
AGC 2025 Construction Outlook presentation to STRA |