03/20/2001 01:00 PM House TRA

                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
              HOUSE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE                                                                         
                         March 20, 2001                                                                                         
                           1:00 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
DOT  PRESENTATION ON  SOUTHEAST  ALASKA  TRANSPORTATION PLAN  AND                                                               
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND TRANSPORTATION PLAN                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
TAPES                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
01-21, SIDES A & B                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                              
CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   VIC    KOHRING,   Chair,   called    the   House                                                               
Transportation Standing Committee to order at 1:00 p.m.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
PRESENT                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                              
Committee members present  were Representatives Kohring, Kapsner,                                                               
Kookesh,  Scalzi, Wilson.   Representatives  Masek and  Ogan were                                                               
excused.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
KURT  PARKAN,  Deputy  Commission, Department  of  Transportation                                                               
introduced JEFF OTTESEN, Statewide  Planning Chief, Department of                                                               
Transportation,  and ROBERT  DOLL,  Regional Director,  Southeast                                                               
Region, Department of Transportation.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
JEFF  OTTESEN and  ROBERT  DOLL both  conducted  the Power  Point                                                               
presentation  for the  Southeast Alaska  Transportation Plan  and                                                               
the Prince William Sound Transportation Plan.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Issues  raised concerned  the planning,  designing, funding,  and                                                               
construction status  of the  new fast  ferries.   Ferry operating                                                               
staff  and  costs were  discussed,  with  the emphasis  being  on                                                               
reducing  staff/crew  costs  because   the  ferries  would  reach                                                               
destination  ports during  a conventional  work-shift [minimizing                                                               
overtime and  change of  crew].   One ferry  would be  located in                                                               
Southeast Alaska, primarily  serving the Sitka -  Juneau - Haines                                                               
route. The second ferry would  be located in Prince William Sound                                                               
to serve the Cordova - Valdez - Whittier route.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There  was  discussion  of  the difficulties  of  the  tides  and                                                               
serving various small  communities in Southeast.   There was also                                                               
discussion regarding  the issues  related to  the design  of fast                                                               
ferries and  their performance under adverse  [high seas] weather                                                               
conditions.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. OTTESEN  and MR.  DOLL discussed the  status of  the existing                                                               
ferry  fleet.   They  described the  physical  condition of  each                                                               
ship,  the  safety  upgrades   required  by  newer  international                                                               
passenger ships, and the estimated  costs for the upgrades.  They                                                               
discussed  that the  new fast  ferries would  be able  to replace                                                               
some  of the  older ships,  thereby  not having  to expend  funds                                                               
upgrading these ships.   There was also  discussion regarding how                                                               
the remainder  of the existing fleet  would be deployed.   It was                                                               
noted  that  service  to  Kodiak   would  be  improved  and  more                                                               
frequent.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  KOHRING  announced  that  witnesses  had  requested  to                                                             
testify  on these  two plans  and thus  the committee  meeting on                                                               
March 22, 2001, would receive public testimony.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
The committee took no action                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KOHRING   adjourned  the  House   Transportation  Standing                                                               
Committee at 2:15 p.m.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
NOTE:  The  meeting was recorded.   A copy of the  tape(s) 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.