Legislature(2021 - 2022)BARNES 124
02/23/2021 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Roads & Highways | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 23, 2021
1:02 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Grier Hopkins, Chair
Representative Ivy Spohnholz
Representative Harriet Drummond
Representative Sara Hannan
Representative Tom McKay
Representative Kevin McCabe
Representative Mike Cronk
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: ROADS & HIGHWAYS
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JOHN MACKINNON
Commissioner
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint and answered
questions.
DOM PANNONE
Director, Administrative Services Division
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint and answered
questions.
RYAN ANDERSON
Northern Region Director
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint and answered
questions.
WOLFGANG JUNGE
Central Region Director
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint and answered
questions.
LANCE MEARIG
Southcoast Region Director
Department of Transportation & Public Facilities
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint and answered
questions.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:02:26 PM
CHAIR GRIER HOPKINS called the House Transportation Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. Representatives
Spohnholz, Drummond, Hannan, McKay, McCabe, and Cronk were
present at the call to order.
CHAIR HOPKINS asked committee members to go around the table and
introduce themselves one by one, and all members did so.
^OVERVIEW: ROADS & HIGHWAYS
OVERVIEW: ROADS & HIGHWAYS
1:10:17 PM
JOHN MACKINNON, Commissioner, Department of Transportation &
Public Facilities (DOT&PF), shared a PowerPoint presentation,
which was included in members' packets. He began with the
responsibilities and structure of the DOT&PF, which included
Alaska Aviation and the Alaska International Airport System on
the aviation side, and Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) on
the marine side. There was also a facilities service division,
he added, which this year has absorbed the Department of
Administration's leasing component.
COMISSIONER MACKINNON stated the DOT&PF also managed measurement
standards and commercial motor vehicle compliance. An important
part of the DOT&PF was also program development, he stated.
Finally, the DOT&PF managed the state equipment fleet, he said.
The DOT&PF was divided into three regions, he explained:
Northern Region, Central Region, and Southcoast Region.
Commissioner MacKinnon directed attention to the outline of
Alaska superimposed onto a map of the contiguous United States,
exemplifying the former was almost as large as the latter in
terms of size served, emphasizing the takeaway was when all
infrastructures were taken into consideration, including the 235
rural airports, 140 of which are off the road system and thus
the "only way in or out," the DOT&PF served "every Alaskan every
day."
COMMISSIONER MACKINNON presented a detailed list of the
components which made up DOT&PF's infrastructure on slide 2.
These included 837 public buildings maintained as well as the
longest highway tunnel in the country, the 2.5-mile Anton
Anderson Tunnel.
1:18:28 PM
DOM PANNONE, Director, Administrative Services Division, DOT&PF,
referenced slide 3, on the 2021 Fiscal Year (FY) operating
budget, which was $606 million. He explained each segment of
the pie chart, of which the green-colored segment, or "other,"
was the biggest at around $187 million and was comprised of
interagency receipts for DOT&PF services, international airport
revenue funds, and the highway equipment working capital fund.
The purple segment, at $167 million, included Capital
Improvement Project receipts, and paid for engineers, planners,
and the personnel who delivered projects. The blue and red
segments, at $149 and $101 million respectively, were the state
operating budget. These segments were also designated
unrestricted general funds (UGF) and restricted general funds
(RGF), respectively.
MR. PANNONE moved on to the second pie chart on the slide 3,
which showed $875 million in federal funds paid for
infrastructure and improvement projects. The state funds,
$65,000 UGF and $16,000 RGF, were the ones needed in order to
receive federal dollars, he explained. The line graph showed
the budget for the two biggest programs, AMHS and Highways and
Aviation, he stated. The significant drop shown for 2020 vis a
vis AMHS was a $40 million reduction in UGF; the RGF showed a
15% decrease in budgeted funding over the past five years. The
message was that reductions in funding directly affected what
services could be offered to the public. Mr. Pannone offered a
detailed explanation of slide 4, which outlined what comprised
funding. The graphs showed how much funding was spent on
highways by region: Northern Region, Central Region, and
Southcoast Region. The AMHS was included in this revenue, Mr.
Pannone offered, as the AMHS was part of the National Highway
System. A portion of funds received was from riders, he added.
1:23:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked about CARES Act funding for
transportation, and if the difference between "new" and "always"
federal money were reflected in cost breakdown.
MR. PANNONE replied federal money existed in the capital budget
as was typical; federal funds were received to improve
infrastructure, but beyond those improvements themselves, in
almost all cases maintenance was largely the state's
responsibility. In terms of CARES, federal funds which were
usable in the operating budget were received. He would be happy
to provide a breakdown, he added.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked if the slides reflected additional
federal operational money or only the federal capital money
ordinarily received.
MR. PANNONE replied, referencing slide 1, FY 21 operating budget
would have $35 million from federal authority on the operating
side from CARES funding, but some of it was being reprogrammed
for next fiscal year.
1:26:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked if she had heard correctly that
50% of AMHS budget came from rider fares.
MR. PANNONE replied traditionally the budget was 50% UGF and it
did come from fares.
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ mused if only land highways did as well
as marine highways.
1:26:53 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked if 50% of fares covered the AMHS
where the other 50% came from.
MR. PANNONE replied in Governor Mike Dunleavy's current
operating budget for the AMHS, $51 million was budgeted from
general fund receipts and $45 million was budgeted from AMHS
funds which were derived from receipts, so roughly half of the
AMHS budget was revenue and half general funds.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE clarified half of operating cost for AMHS
was subsidized by the state and half came from collected fares.
MR. PANNONE replied yes.
1:28:42 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked how much of the motor fuel tax went
toward the operational cost of Alaska's highways, and what
percentage that would be.
MR. PANNONE referenced slide 4, which showed approximately $35
million was collected on gasoline sales, and went toward
maintenance and operations. He referenced the table on slide 4
which broke down motor fuel receipts.
1:30:01 PM
COMMISSIONER MACKINNON mentioned DOT&PF owned and maintained
almost 5,400 roads. There was an annual capital construction
program, funded 93% by federal funds, of about $500 million per
year. In March of 2020 when folks started feeling the effects
of COVID-19, the DOT&PF realized things could be in jeopardy,
but by making a COVID-19 mitigation plan alongside contractors
and among the construction industry, which was communicated to
the Alaska Municipal League, annual construction program went
off with "hardly a hiccup." Since so many families' incomes
were involved, especially, Commissioner MacKinnon shared that he
was very proud of the DOT&PF's efforts to "keep things open most
of the time." He mentioned the closure of the Silver Tip
maintenance station, located at the junction of the Seward and
Hope Highways, which had been a challenge, having recently
experienced weather conditions the likes of which had not been
seen since 1983. He also brought up Klondike Highway, closed by
avalanche on numerous occasions, to illustrate that even when
working under full capacity, stations were closed due to
weather.
COMMISSIONER MACKINNON said motor fuel tax receipts came in
lower than was expected, which he compared to getting part of
the budget in Canadian Dollars [meaning value was lost in
conversion]. Limited resources were due to equipment and
personnel both, he said. He added at least 12 experienced
personnel retired recently, he said, and the positions they
vacated would not be filled easily.
1:36:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked about hybrid vehicles and their
impact in terms of unrealized motor fuel taxes.
COMMISSIONER MACKINNON replied he could find an answer but there
had been a steady decline in motor fuel tax receipts over the
last four or five years. He mentioned a way to "capture" would
be to raise registration fees for electric vehicles. He added
federal gas tax has not been increased since 1993, but the cost
of highway construction had more than doubled during that time.
1:38:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked what the impact was on 2020's
motor fuel tax revenue with the increase in telework and thus
reduction of commuting due to COVID-19.
COMMISSIONER MACKINNON replied since July 2020 numbers were
about 80-85% of what had been expected.
1:40:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked if there was a corresponding
downturn in maintenance needed as well.
COMMISSIONER MACKINNON replied he did not see any downturn in
maintenance as snow still needed to be cleared off, and potholes
were caused by freeze/thaw action and old pavement, not by
traffic, and 80-85% of normal traffic on roads would not make
that much of a difference.
1:42:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked for clarification if the downturn in
motor fuel tax had captured was 80-85% of usual.
COMMISSIONER MACKINNON replied the DOT&PF saw a 15% decline, and
that he would send a graph.
1:44:23 PM
RYAN ANDERSON, Northern Region Director, DOT&PF, continued
presenting with slide 6. He imparted that geographically
speaking, Northern Region was the largest, with 90 airports, 390
bridges, 8 maintenance districts, and 322 personnel working out
of 37 maintenance camps. Northern Region also served 124
communities, 6 boroughs, over 50 city governments, over 100
tribes, and one metropolitan planning organization (MPO), the
Fairbanks Area Surface Transportation Planning Organization
(indicated as FAST Planning on the slide), composed of mayors of
Fairbanks and North Pole, representatives of the Fairbanks City
Council and North Star Borough Assembly, as well as DOT&PF
representatives. The Northern Region design and construction
team, comprised of 200 full-time and 70 seasonal employees,
historically delivered $200 - $250 million dollars in
construction contracts for airports and highway infrastructure
projects throughout the Northern Region.
1:46:31 PM
CHAIR HOPKINS asked the $250 million came out to about half of
the $500 million the state put forward.
MR. ANDERSON replied the number included airports as well, so
the number represented airport and highway funds, so it usually
came out to 30% or more.
1:47:21 PM
MR. ANDERSON referenced slide 7, Northern Region Overall Budget
evolution since 2013. The DOT&PF used a variety of funding
sources both state and federal. approx. Annual expenditure from
all funding sources in the Northern Region was approximately $80
million. He pointed out UGF have declined since 2013, deferred
maintenance funds have declined, federal airport improvement
funds have maintained. The DOT&PF was, according to Mr.
Anderson, reliant on federal preventative maintenance funding
for eligible activities. These activities included asphalt
repairs, leveling, resurfacing, drainage controls, striping, and
the like. He pointed out federal funds were unable to be used
for snow removal or routine maintenance such as grading or
vegetation clearing. Heavy maintenance on the Dalton Highway
was indicated in green on the line graph, he added.
1:49:23 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked about the percentage of the Federal
Airport Improvement program.
MR. ANDERSON replied the information could be provided, and it
was a small amount.
1:50:12 PM
MR. ANDERSON referenced slide 8, innovations and
accomplishments. Teams had developed road "priority systems"
after snow events. For 2019-2020, there were 391 snow events.
After snow, the target response for priority one highways and
expressways, 12 hours, was met in just over ten hours. Priority
zones two, three, and four, with 18, 24, and 30 hours
respectively, didn't do as well. When taking into consideration
what should be done with the information, it was determined that
a limited number of staff, with the help of technology, should
do more. Looking at conditions on a particular road before
heading there was one example.
MR. ANDERSON shared scheduling crews on 12-hour shifts during
the winter to deal with snow removal helped with target response
times. At the start of the pandemic, crews who had formerly
been one week on, one week off on the Dalton Highway went to two
weeks on, two weeks off, which also helped production in terms
of less travel time. This change did have an additional budget
component, he added.
MR. ANDERSON referenced slide 9, entitled Northern Region
Capital Program. He led members through the chart on that slide
entitled "2021 Northern Region Construction." He pointed out
that due to COVID-19 and CARES Act funding, DOT&PF was able to
have a "zero match" for airport funding, but he added that he
did not anticipate this staying the case indefinitely.
1:54:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked about the zero match.
MR. ANDERSON replied for the federally funded airport
improvement program, which funded airport projects, there was a
0% match.
1:55:23 PM
MR. ANDERSON looked at slides focusing on an overview of
construction projects beginning with summer 2021 projects:
projects already begun last summer as well as projects to start
this coming summer. There were 46 projects in all, in Barrow,
Kotzebue, Nome, and Cordova, as well as in smaller communities.
1:56:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked what a segmented circle was.
MR. ANDERSON replied a segmented circle was a navigation device
comprised of a set of panels around a windsock, which served the
purpose of displaying traffic patterns to airline pilots.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked if segmented circles were federally
mandated.
MR. ANDERSON replied advisory circles were mandated by the
Federal Aviation Association as the currently recommended
device, and they were in the process of being updated throughout
the state.
1:58:07 PM
CHAIR HOPKINS asked about concerns regarding maintenance on the
Dalton Highway.
MR. ANDERSON a rainy summer such as 2019-2020 wasn't the best
for road surfacing, as wet material degraded quickly. He said
DOT&PF was trying to get more grading done and was also trying
new techniques for pothole patching. With federal
infrastructure dollars, DOT&PF was always looking to repair
sections of the Dalton Highway, he stated. He added that south
of Deadhorse was to be paved, which would drastically improve
the road for truckers. After pointing out one more project on
the map, he said the DOT&PF tried to stay on top of Dalton
Highway maintenance every year. The two weeks on, two weeks off
schedule should improve things even more expediently, he added.
2:00:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked if paving miles 362-414 of the
Dalton Highway was a first.
MR. ANDERSON replied there were several paved sections on the
highway, but that that was the northernmost section to be paved.
2:01:23 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK offered that east of Toque to the border
was the worst road in the state, and yet it was considered a
"lifeline." He wondered when it could be updated.
MR. ANDERSON replied there was a lot of summer work and there
were several large capital projects in the queue. He offered to
deliver a list of the projects.
2:03:03 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked where the infamous "Dalton slump"
was in relation to where they were paving.
MR. ANDERSON replied about mile 208-209, south of where they
were paving.
2:03:44 PM
MR. ANDERSON turned attention back to slide 11, Fairbanks area
projects, including the University Avenue Bridge project and
Third Street intersection project. Other project highlights
included quite a few on Richardson Highway. Chena Hot Springs
Road project was entering its second year, with permafrost a
continuing challenge to keeping roads level and straight. Air
convection embankments were being utilized to try to keep things
more frozen. Thermal modeling work with the University of
Alaska Fairbanks continued to inform innovations, Mr. Anderson
imparted.
2:07:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK asked if Chena Hot Springs Road was
becoming more qualified for federal funding, and what the
difference was between highway funding and road funding.
MR. ANDERSON replied there were National Highway System routes,
which received a larger proportion of the funding, and Alaska
State Highway Funding, and Chena Hot Springs Road was part of
the latter category.
2:08:42 PM
MR. ANDERSON shared that the University Avenue Bridge over the
Chena River, built in 1963, would be replaced entirely; the
Wendell Avenue Bridge, built in 1953 before Fairbanks had paved
roads, would be replaced in 2021. Back to the Dalton Highway
paving project about which Representative Drummond had asked,
maintenance and operations departments would be working together
to closely monitor the insulated embankment with the goal of
saving grading work.
2:11:24 PM
CHAIR HOPKINS asked what an insulated embankment was.
MR. ANDERSON replied an insulated embankment worked like home
insulation. It was two to six inches thick, went two to six
feet down, and was laid to keep heat from penetrating down from
the roads, thus keeping embankments frozen, he said.
CHAIR HOPKINS asked if an insulated embankment was constructed
differently than that of Gold Stream Road.
MR. ANDERSON replied Dalton Highway embankment was almost ten
feet high, and it was colder so it would stay frozen longer.
MR. ANDERSON spoke to the last slide, moving the Dalton Highway
Drill Rig 28 miles south, an 18-hour move. This was the second
year in a row the move will have taken place, he added.
2:14:23 PM
WOLFGANG JUNGE, Central Region Director, DOT&PF, shared a
breakdown of Central Region, which was a combination of Alaska's
most urban areas: Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) and the
Kenai Peninsula, combined with over 80 rural communities.
Central Region was the most populated, with over 290,000 people
living in the Anchorage area, over 100,000 in Mat-Su, over
55,000 down on the Kenai, and at least 15,000 in rural areas.
In addition to the road system, Central Region also supported a
robust aviation network which in turn supported some of the
busiest airports including Ted Stevens International Airport in
Anchorage, hub airports in Bethel, Dillingham, and Homer, and 69
smaller airports in rural communities. Central Region also
owned and operated Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, also known as
the Whittier Tunnel, which stretched 2.5 miles and connected
Whittier with the National Highway System.
MR. JUNGE moved onto Central Region's operating budget. Like
Northern Region, he pointed out, maintenance and operations were
largely funded with state general funds. The significant drop
between FY 16 and FY 17 reflected a boundary change done between
those two years, he stated. Funding categories consisted of
aviation fuel tax, rural airport receipts, motor fuel tax, motor
rental tax, and program receipts from maintenance programs. In
terms of Central Region's Capital Budget, Mr. Junge pointed out
that while 2020 was a busy year with $196 million in
construction payments, 2021 looked to be quite a bit busier with
$460 million in active contracts either in process or ready to
be bid on, representing at least 40 projects in highways,
aviation, earthquake permanent repairs and airport
infrastructure and repairs. The DOT&PF estimated the projects
represented close to $8 million in preventative maintenance
contracting on highways and airport infrastructure. Mr. Junge
pointed out that as with the other regions, Central Region
required match funds from the state to receive federal funds.
MR. JUNGE pointed out that with the CARES Act money, like
Northern Region, the federal aviation match went to zero in
2021. In 2021 Central Region expected to receive $340 million
in its statewide transportation improvement program and $120
million for airports under the airport improvement program.
2:18:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked whether the looming designation of
the Mat-Su borough as "metropolitan" transportation meant
funding would be divided differently.
MR. JUNGE replied funding for municipal planning organizations
(MPOs) was set and allocated by population demographics. The
population expected to come out of the census for the 2020 MPO
within the Mat-Su borough, primarily encompassing Wasilla and
Palmer, would be apportioned out of the MPO funding provided by
the federal government, he added.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE said he hoped it would have resulted in
more increased funding.
MR. JUNGE replied there was not a larger allocation; the funding
was just further subdivided among the existing MPOs.
2:20:28 PM
MR. JUNGE moved on to slide 21, Maintenance Innovations and
Accomplishments, which highlighted some safety measures,
including an increase in brine, which improved safety as it
helped prevent bonding between snow/ice and pavement. He also
mentioned the addition of week-on, week-off schedules at the
Bethel airport, which has helped with filling positions to keep
the airport open. Despite record-setting rain levels, highway
closures were avoided due to 20-hour coverage on Seward Highway.
In addition, LED lighting system upgrades have lowered costs and
increased service life. As far as accomplishments, there were
several drainage and surface repairs noted.
MR. JUNGE moved on to slide 22, Regional Construction -
Anchorage. He noted that regardless of location, the goal is
always to improve and rehabilitate. The DOT&PF Central Region
was anticipating a robust year, he stated, with projects ranging
from highway construction and improvement projects to
rehabilitation projects, pavement preservation and earthquake
repair projects. One notable project was the O'Malley Road
construction.
MR. JUNGE moved on to slide 23, Regional Construction - Kenai.
The notable project here was the Sterling Highway reconstruction
project, a $500 million-plus project anticipating completion in
2025.
2:25:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND asked if Sterling Highway estimate was
really $500 million, half a billion.
MR. JUNGE confirmed this.
MR. JUNGE moved on to slide 24, Regional Construction in Mat-Su,
the fastest-growing area in the state, in which there were more
than 15 active projects in 2021. The largest of these was Parks
Highway, he stated. Work was underway for a dedicated Mat-Su
district office by 2022. Additionally, DOT&PF had funded Mat-Su
borough over $100K to help set up an MPO with Wasilla and
Palmer. A board was to be established by June 2021, he stated.
2:27:59 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK asked what the holdup was with the last
section on the Long Lake area near Toque.
MR. JUNGE replied one of the challenges with the area north of
Palmer was that it was a low average daily traffic count. He
said there was currently a "Long Lake re-route" project in play,
but that was still four to five years out.
2:29:56 PM
MR. JUNGE imparted to the committee some details about the
Seward Highway project, one of the largest projects, which would
include replacement of five bridges originally constructed after
the 1964 earthquake. He also shared information about Sterling
Highway construction, another large project for the state, and
Knik Goose Bay Road reconstruction from two-lane to four-lane.
Knik Goose Bay Road reconstruction was the state's number one
priority project, he added.
2:32:51 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE why permissions were only being granted at
this time, when Knik Goose Bay Road expansion was meant to start
in 2021.
MR. JUNGE replied under Governor Bill Walker, Knik Goose Bay
Road construction had been paused, which contributed to a year
or two of delay. In addition, he added, the city of Wasilla had
desires in terms of roundabouts, there were over 150 partial
acquisitions, and impacts on adjacent property owners and
businesses could be quite substantial. The DOT&PF had
incorporated the Acquisition Incentive Program, which
incentivizes adjacent homes of up to 20% over market value for
property owners.
2:36:10 PM
LANCE MEARIG, Southcoast Region Director, Department of
Transportation & Public Facilities, shared the Southcoast Region
had fewer communities connected to each other by roads, it
relied more on airports, the Alaska Marine Highway System, and
other marine transportation. As shown on slide 28, Southcoast
Region included just over 1500 road lane miles, 20 maintenance
stations, 44 airports, 17 seaplane bases, 186 bridges, and 15
harbors, serving 96 communities, 12 boroughs, 51 city
governments, and 60 tribes.
MR. MEARIG shared, as other regions had done before him, the
Southcoast Region breakdown of highway and aviation maintenance
and operations funding breakdown. This breakdown was
represented on a bar graph on slide 29 of the presentation. A
summary of 2021 Southcoast Region construction was presented on
slide 30, with projected contract values between $140 and $175
million, which historically speaking, was almost twice the
yearly average.
2:39:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked whether maintenance operation
facilities in horrific shape in Haines could be helped with this
this money, or if it was separate.
MR. MEARIG replied regarding airports, the funds could be used,
but in terms of highways the federal funds were separate and
could not be used for buildings.
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked whether there were any requests or
plans for those maintenance operation buildings, specifically in
Haines, to be updated.
MR. MEARIG replied needs have been identified and prioritized,
but funding to address deferred maintenance had not been
received.
2:43:22 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked why the state airport match was
lower in Southcoast Region.
MR. MEARIG replied it was a feature of the types of airports in
Southcoast.
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ said she was interested in the type
that made it distinct.
MR. MEARIG said he'd have to get that information.
2:44:26 PM
MR. MEARIG directed the committee's attention to slide 31, which
showed Southcoast Region's winter storm response time. As with
the other regions, Southcoast was broken into four priority
"zones," each of which had its own response time. As
exemplified on the slide, targets in priority zones one and two
were met with success while lower priority zones three and four
struggled a bit.
MR. MEARIG shared slide 32, airport and highway and harbor
projects in Southcoast Region. He stated Alaska used to have an
extensive harbor program but had been trying to divest in
harbors and turn the money over to a community or another
project. In terms of projects to highlight, there would be a
major reconstruction of Haines Highway, miles 12 to 25, broken
into two phases.
2:49:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN asked about acquisition of private
property land and whether it had been resolved.
MR. MEARIG replied it had not been resolved and project was
expected to be underway in 2023.
2:50:31 PM
MR. MEARIG presented slide 34, Katlian Bay Road, a $33 million
road extension through extremely challenging terrain. This
project would move into its third season when weather permitted.
2:51:42 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK asked what the purpose was in extending
Katlian Bay Road.
MR. MEARIG replied Katlian Bay Road was being extended for
recreational and subsistence use for residents of Sitka.
2:52:45 PM
MR. MEARIG said the last project, roundabouts at Stephen
Richards and Floyd Dryden Middle School in Juneau, were
completed under time and budget due to the lack of tourist
traffic during the "sad" year of 2020.
2:54:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY asked for a roundabout application, and
whether adjustments had been made for inflation.
COMMISSIONER MCKINNON replied accidents were much less severe
with roundabouts, and in terms of the budget figures he could
not answer but directed it toward Mr. Pannone.
2:57:04 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Transportation Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:56
p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DOTPF House Trans - Roads & Highways Presentation 2.23.2021.pdf |
HTRA 2/23/2021 1:00:00 PM |
DOTPF Overview - Roads & Highways |