Legislature(2007 - 2008)SENATE FINANCE 532
02/13/2007 01:00 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION
| Audio | Topic |
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| Start | |
| Overview: Department of Transportation Highway System | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT MEETING
SENATE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 13, 2007
1:10 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
SENATE TRANSPORTATION
Senator Albert Kookesh, Chair
Senator John Cowdery, Vice Chair
Senator Donny Olson
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Senator Gary Wilken
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION
Representative Kyle Johansen, Chair
Representative Mark Neuman, Vice Chair
Representative Anna Fairclough
Representative Craig Johnson
Representative Vic Kohring
Representative Mike Doogan
Representative Woodie Salmon
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Overview: Department of Transportation Highway System
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to consider
WITNESS REGISTER
John MacKinnon, Deputy Commissioner
Department of Transportation &
Public Facilities
3132 Channel Dr.
Juneau, AK 99801-7898
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented overview
Jeffrey Ottesen, Program Development Division Director
Department of Transportation &
Public Facilities
3132 Channel Dr.
Juneau, AK 99801-7898
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented overview
Malcolm Menzies, Southeast Regional Director
Department of Transportation &
Public Facilities
3132 Channel Dr.
Juneau, AK 99801-7898
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented overview
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR ALBERT KOOKESH called the joint meeting of the Senate and
House Transportation Standing Committees to order at 1:10:28 PM.
Present at the call to order were Senators Wielechowski,
Cowdery, Olson, Wilken, and Chair Kookesh, and Representatives
Kohring, Doogan, Johnson, Neuman, Fairclough, Salmon, and Chair
Johansen.
^OVERVIEW: DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HIGHWAY SYSTEM
CHAIR KOOKESH announced the committee would hear an overview of
the highway system.
1:13:40 PM
JOHN MACKINNON, Deputy Commissioner with the Department of
Transportation (DOT), said he would be presenting an overview on
the DOT's highway system in Alaska. The DOT exists to provide
for the movement of people and goods and for the delivery of
state services. It is organized into the marine highway,
aviation, and highway and public facilities divisions. It covers
three regions: southeast, central, and northern. The northern
region contains the most roads and the central region is mainly
urban. There are 2,113 centerline miles of national highway
routes in Alaska, as well as lower-traffic routes such as the
Steers and Denali highways. The DOT is responsible for 765
bridges on these combined routes, and possesses 84 maintenance
stations statewide.
1:18:14 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that there are 29 state-owned harbors, 12 of
which are operated by local governments. The state and local
government must maintain floats in these harbors.
SENATOR COWDERY asked if the local government collects harbor
fees.
MR. MACKINNON replied that the local government is responsible
for collecting operational fees and conducting routine
maintenance; major maintenance is done by the state. The control
of many of these harbors is being transitioned to local
governments.
1:21:27 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked if there is any cruise ship head-tax
money being distributed to the harbors.
MR. MACKINNON replied that none of the tax money will be going
to the harbors, but in his opinion highway rest stops would
greatly benefit from such additional funding.
1:23:05 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked if local communities have the
opportunity to volunteer for rest stop maintenance.
MR. MACKINNON replied that they may do so through the Adopt-A-
Highway program, which applies to highways but can be extended
to apply to rest stops as well.
1:25:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked if the cruise ship head tax could
be used for rest stop maintenance.
MR. MACKINNON said that he was unfamiliar with the tax
initiative and could not answer the question.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON encouraged Mr. MacKinnon to research the
idea.
1:26:10 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that the DOT also oversees measurement
standards and commercial vehicle enforcement. It certifies
scales and gas pumps and enforces commercial vehicle inspections
and weighing. It has recently increased penalties for overweight
loads.
1:29:08 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that there are 258 state-owned airports
across Alaska, with a $200 million federally funded budget.
Alaska is the largest airport operator in the United States, and
134 airports are staffed through community contracts. Annual
maintenance costs an average of $27,000 per airport.
He said that the northern region receives the most maintenance
funding because it contains many of the state's roads. Funding
has been improved in the last few years, and costs have been
kept down by efficient equipment. General funds are generally
used for winter maintenance, and much summertime work is funded
federally.
1:34:19 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked if the funding chart referred to
total funding, or just federal funds.
MR. MACKINNON replied that the funding is 90 percent federal.
1:35:27 PM
MR. MACKINNON reviewed recent natural disasters including
flooding, and explained that first response comes from DOT
personnel before contractors are hired to effect more permanent
repairs.
SENATOR OLSON asked why $600,000 in DOT disaster funds was spent
on the Hooper Bay fire repair.
MR. MACKINNON replied that the money was spent to repair the
road leading from the airport to the town to allow for the
passage of freight and repair materials.
SENATOR OLSON asked if airports without surface runways are
included in the DOT's maintenance budget.
MR. MACKINNON replied that such airports, with floatplane
facilities, are included in the budget.
SENATOR OLSON asked if complaints about such airports would be
directed to the DOT.
MR. MACKINNON responded that they would.
1:39:10 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that the DOT highways department oversees
road and ferry construction contract administration, field
inspection, and quality assurance. Current active projects total
over $1.5 billion, and past projects have included the Alaska
Psychiatric Institute and the virology lab for the Department of
Health and Social Services. The combined operating capital
budget is about $2 billion.
1:40:48 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked how the DOT is approaching bridge
improvements in regards to future traffic caused by the natural
gas pipeline.
MR. MACKINNON replied that the DOT is doing inventory on routes
that need improving, and is repairing them beginning with those
in the worst condition. Particular care is being paid to the
Dalton Highway.
1:42:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SALMON said that the governor has asked for a $6
million cut in funding for the northern region of the state, and
asked Mr. MacKinnon for his input.
MR. MACKINNON said that the DOT's share of the proposed cuts is
$23 million. The department responded by proposing cuts from a
wide variety of programs across the state, but as of yet none
are final.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN asked Mr. MacKinnon to eventually
provide the committee with a break-down of the DOT's
construction spending.
1:44:21 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that funding has been improving in recent
years, and mentioned some highways around the state that need
funding for repairs. Often weight limits on these highways are
costly for the trucking industry, and proper maintenance could
eliminate these restrictions.
1:47:01 PM
SENATOR COWDERY asked if there was a correlation between weight
restrictions and speed limits.
1:47:48 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that he was not familiar with the issue, but
that the DOT's goal was to eliminate the seasonal weight
restrictions.
He said that a new interchange and road extensions in Anchorage
will be built this summer to help reduce traffic congestion. He
cited historic growth in expenditures by the federal highway
administration.
1:49:10 PM
MR. MACKINNON explained the Statewide Transportation Improvement
Program (STIP), which is a required listing of planned project
activity for all federally funded highway construction. The
program is officially renewed every four years, but renews
continuously because of changes in project budgets.
1:51:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN asked how the marine highway system
figures into federal National Highway System (NHS) funding.
JEFFREY OTTESEN, Program Development Division Director with the
DOT, said that vessels and terminals of the marine highway
system connected with a national highway are considered part of
the NHS for funding reasons. The vessels are not earning revenue
for the state, but are allowed to use NHS funding.
1:52:36 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that the Alaska Highway System (AHS) is
comprised of 1,500 centerline miles that don't meet the federal
standards for NHS. There are over 10,600 miles of Community
Transport Program roads in Alaska.
1:53:57 PM
MR. MACKINNON showed a chart on federal distribution of highway
funds in Alaska, 48 percent of which goes to NHS and 39 percent
of which goes to community roads and municipal planning
organizations.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked if percentages of funding were
mandated by the federal government.
MR. MACKINNON replied that the mandates were part of Alaska
statue.
1:55:22 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that STIP is currently being amended, and a
program called SAFETY-LU receives high funding but this is
leading to less funding for more ordinary projects. Many
earmarks requested by communities and organizations have
restricted the DOT's ability to fund other projects.
1:57:17 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN said that earmarks were picked by
Alaska's delegation as obvious priorities.
MR. MACKINNON said that they often do not fully fund a project.
1:58:09 PM
SENATOR COWDERY asked how long plans for a project might be
viable.
MR. MACKINNON replied that plans may be valid for as long as
five years.
1:59:07 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that the DOT is still waiting for the
transportation appropriations bill from the US Congress, and it
is currently operating under a continuing resolution and hoping
that the bill will be able to clarify actual funding. The
current SAFETY-LU authorization expires in 2009, which may cause
insolvency in the highway trust fund.
He said that the DOT's operating budget request is $544 million
for 2008. Much of this goes to general funds support, and the
remainder to equipment replacement and international airport
maintenance.
2:01:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked if there is a gas tax in Alaska.
MR. MACKINNON replied that the highway gas tax in Alaska is
eight cents per gallon, which is the lowest in the country. It
was instated in 1963 and has not changed since that year; the
national average is 25 cents per gallon.
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked if there is a federal gas tax.
MR. MACKINNON replied that the federal tax is 18 cents per
gallon, and the tax is not included in the DOT program receipts.
2:03:42 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that the general fund request for 2008 is
$236 million, most of which will go to highway and aviation
maintenance and operations. The rest will go to marine highway,
administration, planning, measurement, facilities, and
operations costs. The state possesses 700 buildings across
Alaska.
2:05:32 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked if the general fund is used to
leverage any federal money.
MR. MACKINNON replied that all leverage money is in the capitol
budget as highway and aviation matched funds.
2:06:02 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that a 2005 public opinion survey showed 80
percent approval of the DOT. There has been a 20 percent
reduction in fatalities in the last two years, and a 6 percent
decrease in bridge deficiency.
2:07:23 PM
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked if the DOT sees increased costs
because of melting permafrost due to global warming.
MR. MACKINNON replied that the DOT does have problems with
melting permafrost, but it is used to dealing with it.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI asked for a cost estimate.
MR. MACKINNON said that he did not have an estimate.
2:08:03 PM
MR. MACKINNON explained that safety is a major goal at the
federal and state levels, and highway fatalities have been
reduced by 30 percent in the last five years due to increased
traffic fines for dangerous sections of road, increased patrol
officers, effective maintenance, and improved paving.
2:11:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN said that the University of Alaska
Fairbanks has been researching ways to reduce highway wear, and
asked about any other efforts by the DOT in terms of reducing
costs.
MR. MACKINNON said that the DOT uses milling machines that grind
down only the traveling surface for refill, which saves tons of
asphalt. New aggregates are being used on highways to resist
studded tire wear, which can double the life of the paving
surface.
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked if the DOT could use granite in the
roads to make them wear-resistant.
MR. MACKINNON replied that granite is not hard enough for road
surfaces.
2:15:19 PM
MR. MACKINNON said that one of the challenges facing the DOT is
recruiting and retaining staff, because state and federal wages
are too low. The DOT staff is aging, and replacements need to be
found. The lack of the appropriations bill is an added
uncertainty for the department.
2:17:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked if the DOT had jurisdiction over
highway warning signs.
MR. MACKINNON said that sign placement is federally regulated,
and the DOT must abide by a federal manual. Highway markings are
often obscured or worn off because of intense weather conditions
and snowplowing.
2:21:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SALMON asked why lights are insufficient on some
rural runways.
MR. MACKINNON said that the DOT is presently attempting to light
all rural runways.
SENATOR WILKEN asked Mr. MacKinnon to speak about the re-
appropriation of $700,000 in funding for the O'Brian creek
bridge washout.
MR. MACKINNON explained that in 2005 the DOT received the
appropriation to provide access across native lands to the
Copper River for dip-netting; the money wasn't able to be used
but access has since been cut off by the creek washout. The
original appropriation may now be used to replace the washed-out
bridge or install a boat-launch facility.
2:24:08 PM
SENATOR WILKEN asked Mr. MacKinnon for detail on the Weigh In
Motion truck weighing system.
MR. MACKINNON said that in Anchorage pavement sensors have been
installed that weigh trucks as they move, which eliminates weigh
station stops.
2:25:21 PM
SENATOR WILKEN asked if a trucker could conceivably drive from
Anchorage to Prudhoe Bay without stopping at weigh stations.
MR. MACKINNON said that was correct.
2:26:24 PM
SENATOR OLSON asked how the DOT implemented dust control.
MR. MACKINNON said that paving materials can be impregnated with
chemicals that reduce dust, but the process is very expensive.
2:28:13 PM
SENATOR OLSON said that airport vendors in his districts say
they are being charged dissimilar gross revenue fees than others
across the state.
MR. MACKINNON said that an effort is being made across Alaska to
bring every airport to the same fee standard.
SENATOR OLSON asked for the DOT's stance on a Juneau access
road.
MALCOLM MENZIES, Southeast Regional Director for the DOT, said
that the DOT had solicited state logging road bids which were
unexpectedly high, and Governor Sarah Palin ordered the DOT to
cancel the bid. The DOT will continue to design the federal
highway and accept bids in April. The road will be built in
three phases with a total of seven bridges.
SENATOR OLSON asked how the governor's budget cuts would affect
road construction.
MR. MENZIES replied that the road is a federal project and as
such the DOT will be reimbursed for the costs.
2:34:19 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked if the materials purchased in
anticipation of the logging road project would be used in the
federal project.
MR. MENZIES replied that there would be no money or material
wasted.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN asked for detail on the federal funds
for the access road.
2:35:22 PM
MR. OTTESEN said that funds would come from two places, the
Shakwak program and the bridge funding program, which is
generally restricted to replacement bridges but would be
applicable in this project.
2:36:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN asked if there was a morale problem in
the ranks of DOT employees, and related a personal story about
working in the DOT when he was younger.
MR. OTTESEN replied that he thought department morale was fine,
despite statements from other entities.
2:40:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SALMON said that people in his district were
having problems with uneven application of fuel tank
regulations.
MR. MACKINNON said that the DOT is in the process of making sure
airport fuel tanks are double-walled, and eventually all
airports will abide by the same regulations.
2:43:25 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked for an explanation of Shakwak
funding.
MR. OTTESEN said that Shakwak is a program developed in 1970
that allows American funding to flow to the Canadian portion of
the Alaskan highway system, named for a geological fault in
Canada. Later the law was modified to allow Canadian funds to
come to Alaska.
2:45:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked if Shakwak funding applied to the
marine highway system.
MR. OTTESEN said that the terminals and ferries of the marine
highway system, as well as roads leading to terminals, are
eligible for such funding.
2:46:21 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked if such funds could be used for the
Juneau access road.
MR. OTTESEN said that the DOT is proposing using some Shakwak
funds for the access road because the road would be replacing
ferry service.
SENATOR OLSON said he thought Shakwak funds should be used to
update the ferry fleet.
2:47:19 PM
MR. OTTESEN replied that the ferry system is clearly expensive
to the state, and studies show that ferry lines need to be
shortened and streamlined.
REPRESENTATIVE DOOGAN asked if a ferry terminal must already
exist for a Shakwak-funded road to be built to it.
MR. OTTESEN said that in the case of the Juneau road, the funds
can be used because a ferry terminal is included in the plans.
2:49:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN asked how long the state has been
receiving Shakwak money.
MR. OTTESEN said that the state has been receiving the money
since the early 1990s, and the funding has been relatively
erratic. It has been used for Haines highway projects in the
past.
SENATOR KOOKESH thanked the presenters and, seeing no further
business, adjourned the joint committee meeting at 2:51:00 PM.
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