[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6313188,"mediaKeyId","2388660-f7e9770cad7534eb2dd30bfd5559bd01","parentId",2388660,"title","DOT reports $373 million facility deferred‑maintenance backlog; department outlines condition assessments and prioritization process","audioSeconds",139,"startMs",5281000,"endMs",5420000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2388660-f7e9770cad7534eb2dd30bfd5559bd01&start=5281&end=5420","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2388660-f7e9770cad7534eb2dd30bfd5559bd01/thumbnail_5281000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6313188/Alaska/DOT-reports-373-million-facility-deferredmaintenance-backlog-department-outlines-condition-assessments-and-prioritization-process","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6313188-0b37ad9e5adad9fd6976bf483d2a9b73/orig.mp4?Expires=1771091006&Signature=T0z1L0OYurFhIn9QgC1KPwagj4ct4tUNX7Bt5D7OYnoFa3aRYNyxM7NtvqSWph426w2hQgzJoAnLbwCbYG90mtJYmcMkNhApmxkYJQkXXLUX7Sczv3u1eXLfzAk3da9DlgvGadsYMqrPi7eoygK-OqD0COG7caTQ8uzFiyGy85FvPAu2TP-M7wYCgEy9EtO05BnONE131574Uxmv5o6cnxd5TIGChpX-bCQOBQ5fYPA3reqVovZ0QF-fCehwO~DM8JjoL8JtNN3BSbhZdK1~8tWxhKZI2Q06KyJEee0cVjOHSCBashtOU51bfP3yduQ4BmhtJyvAZ1LidhjtOc2pug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska State Legislature","date","2025-02-25T00:00:00Z","article","The Department of Transportation and Public Facilities told the Senate Finance Committee that its division responsible for buildings and facilities is tracking a deferred‑maintenance backlog of roughly $373 million and outlined a multi‑step process to assess and prioritize repairs.

Christopher Hodgins, a project delivery lead in DOT's division of facility services, told the committee the division owns 706 facilities across the state, of which 668 are DOT mission‑specific buildings such as highway and aviation maintenance stations and equipment storage. \"Our current division backlog in deferred maintenance is 373,000,000,\" Hodgins said, and he explained that about $163 million of that total is for DOT‑specific facilities while roughly $210 million is associated with Public Building Fund facilities.

Hodgins described a three‑tier approach DOT is using: (1) conduct facility condition assessments, (2) prioritize deferred‑maintenance projects within the department and present them to the statewide facilities council, and (3) submit prioritized projects to the Office of Management and Budget for funding consideration. He said the department completed condition assessments for 28 high‑occupancy, high square‑footage facilities during the past year and will expand assessments to additional DOT facilities, many of which are remote and require travel.

Committee members asked about the governor's proposed FY26 funding for deferred maintenance and staffing for remote maintenance stations. DOT told the committee the governor's proposed funding for deferred maintenance across the executive branch is on the order of $20 million; DOT said it will provide updated lists and clarified schedules. Hodgins and Deputy Commissioner Catherine Keith said the department uses a mathematical project‑index prioritization method that combines facility importance, system impact and need to create a ranked list for the statewide facilities council and OMB.

Senators also raised operational challenges: remote maintenance camps and staffing shortages can delay Winter response and routine maintenance work, and the committee asked DOT to supply the full prioritized backlog so legislators can assess capital planning across departments.

Ending: DOT said it will expand facility condition assessments, provide the committee with corrected historical allocation charts and the department's prioritized deferred‑maintenance list for the committee's review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","02/25/2025 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE","oneSentenceSummary","DOT officials told the Senate Finance Committee the department's facilities backlog is roughly $373 million and outlined recent condition assessments and a prioritization process that routes projects through the statewide facilities council to OMB.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Alaska, Alaska","taxId",78559,"location","Alaska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6313192,"DOT details federal rural ferry awards, notes pending grants and risks to Marine Highway cash flow",190,3840000,4030000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2388660-f7e9770cad7534eb2dd30bfd5559bd01&start=3840&end=4030","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2388660-f7e9770cad7534eb2dd30bfd5559bd01/thumbnail_3840000.jpg","/articles/6313192/Alaska/DOT-details-federal-rural-ferry-awards-notes-pending-grants-and-risks-to-Marine-Highway-cash-flow","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6313192-4a35a44f01103858e72fd771c80fd1aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771091006&Signature=WzNy1JWtFlsYdY~26gopYNz5283fxSgOMMRrs0gznPqyfgpTN02z8Pen0F~qFIC4e--9UFLzxqXkJES9Gr9G1kc6ITUeUGNWO9bsyQcgenPgxjz2TUyfsgufPsL4I~gRXjtoNXVqAHN8xsYV02obXxN70kxzF0ik6ZzFFHClZr7OeSVuhDVj418sXnhajYD0IzwDVIbfui3FXQ0DxqWtV9ZSBLch6Rg6w0epRGI7y3bdx4PHGUMfUhw4TURYchBz0MtpeBQGZPPZgFramYbR5g0JxC1CaUWKsLZkE08sESWzhYNn9UzplcWUCpS0J2MzKtSeWtA9uaLrPgxV09ehXg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Department of Transportation and Public Facilities told the Senate Finance Committee that Alaska has received significant discretionary awards under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) rural ferry program but several grants remain pending and reimbursements are contingent on established grant agreements.

Dom Pinone, director of program management and administration at DOT&PF, described the IIJA rural ferry program (section 71103) as a five‑year discretionary fund that authorized $200 million annually for ferry services connecting rural communities. \"We've been awarded approximately $540,000,000 through this program,\" Pinone said, noting that one award went to American Samoa and that about $410 million of the IIJA authorization remains to be awarded to grantees in future years.

Pinone and DOT staff emphasized a technical but practical point: grants are typically reimbursement agreements. \"Once we've established a grant, it's a reimbursement program,\" Pinone said. For awards that are pending, the state can incur expenses under pre‑award authority but must wait for the established grant contract to receive reimbursement.

Commissioner Ryan Anderson and other DOT officials described the status of vessels and terminal work: the Columbia remains in service as a mainliner and recently received Wi‑Fi upgrades; the Kennicott is at Everett for a roughly $25 million emissions/exhaust project; the LeConte is in an extended overhaul that DOT said may run into June; and the Metlakahtla/Matans?ka (transcript spelling varies) is under review for potential costly upgrades. DOT said estimates to bring some older vessels up to Coast Guard standards have in some cases exceeded $100 million, and the department is awaiting detailed reports to establish final scopes and costs.

Committee members expressed concern about the risk to the Marine Highway if the IIJA rural ferry program is not reauthorized or if grant deliveries are delayed in Washington. DOT officials said such a scenario could leave a gap the state might need to backfill—committee testimony referenced a potential shortfall on the order of roughly $70–72 million if federal support is not extended—and that the department is monitoring cash flow and reimbursement timing closely.

Senators urged DOT to provide immediate notice to the legislature if federal awards are delayed or frozen, because the Marine Highway operates with a constrained cash position and some operating and capital work depends on federal reimbursements. DOT said it will continue to track grant establishment and provide information to the committee as awards progress.

Ending: DOT and the committee agreed to continue coordination on grant establishment timing, vessel overhauls and contingency planning for potential federal funding pauses.","DOT officials told the Senate Finance Committee the IIJA rural ferry program has delivered substantial awards to Alaska but several grants are pending; the department warned that if federal funding is not reauthorized it could need to backfill tens of millions of dollars and outlined the status of key AMHS vessels.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6313197,"DOT opens STIP Amendment 2 for public comment, warns federal reviews and inflation are slowing delivery",903,493000,1396000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2388660-f7e9770cad7534eb2dd30bfd5559bd01&start=493&end=1396","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2388660-f7e9770cad7534eb2dd30bfd5559bd01/thumbnail_493000.jpg","/articles/6313197/Alaska/DOT-opens-STIP-Amendment-2-for-public-comment-warns-federal-reviews-and-inflation-are-slowing-delivery","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6313197-26c0d0101e93f82b9ec9ef0901680cc3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771091006&Signature=oji30p1nD3w98vEJHQssJeWwGODCQxvO~QP7n4ZDyeUjChse6iE-OA5gPri9O~DV~NyktdCOWpP4m69t4mBfZBMeek6XmsqjWLrld0qTS~Di1baA61Jxv5svz4dnAHIGl0lrjVfrY91St6~7Nq2grrnR3GEno2YX1pzRdhs1yolh9Pv92s5AhJzDVzPL2gpWyjJZa2xj3GVdglalHwvba3cqwsOCvAjANGE7kw06CbkIZ-NNURabiikpgOx07BiOZ~RvCfzaYe7AVFLC1OFt~SNRAkQrTVksvUswYeNMHRLo-xbjilzy~3OWydugXJ~AmmP835RDkxhurXttgGOEnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities on Feb. 25 released Amendment 2 to its Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, opening the document for public comment through March 20 and saying the update includes fund‑type eligibility changes, cost and year adjustments and improved online comparison tools.

The update matters because the STIP programs roughly $6.9 billion over four years and governs which federally funded projects the state can obligate; DOT told the Senate Finance Committee that federal reviews, advance‑construction balances and higher material and labor costs are constraining how much work the department can put on the ground this summer.

Catherine Keith, deputy commissioner for DOT&PF, told the committee Amendment 2 is posted on an upgraded Esri‑based platform that lets users compare Amendment 1 to Amendment 2 and shows changes to scope and funding with red and green arrows. \"This amendment incorporates changes to formatting of our fiscal constraint tables,\" Keith said, adding that the public comment period runs through March 20.

Commissioner Ryan Anderson briefed senators on the status of prior federal planning findings and said department staff traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration officials to resolve outstanding items. Anderson said those meetings produced at least one direct outcome: a project the FHWA had rejected was approved after the issue was elevated to headquarters.

DOT officials told the committee staff resources for the STIP are now distributed across multiple divisions—fiscal management, project delivery and a data/modernization office—rather than being owned by a single staffer, and that broader federal requirements have increased the document's scope and complexity.

On delivery, DOT said its routine annual formula funds run about $850 million and Federal Transit Administration formula funds about $85 million; the STIP totals about $6.9 billion, including roughly $3.6 billion for construction and about $396 million for preconstruction activities. The department programs discretionary grants as well; Deputy Commissioner Keith said approximately $1.05 billion in discretionary grants is reflected in the four‑year program.

Advanced construction (AC) obligations—where the state effectively uses future years' authorization to start work now—are an active part of DOT's toolbox. Anderson said the state's AC balance in work is approximately $400 million today, down from a prior peak in the $550–600 million range. \"We could put more work on the street by increasing our AC balance over what is currently programmed,\" Anderson said, and noted the department has been working to manage that balance.

Committee members pressed DOT for a confidence estimate on the agency's tentative advertising schedule. DOT said about $15 million was currently advertised, more than $120 million of projects are bid and pending award, and that staff estimate over $200 million of work could be advertised between now and May if approvals and procurement proceed as planned. Officials said they will provide a more detailed, project‑level confidence ranking to the committee.

DOT also highlighted programmatic items it does not expect to resolve in this amendment—such as how the department programs parent/child projects across multiple years—and said those will be addressed in the rolling 2025–2028 STIP.

How this could affect Alaskans: senators repeatedly emphasized the need to get work on the street before the 2025 construction season. Contractors and municipal partners, DOT said, have urged the agency to prioritize simpler paving and preventative maintenance projects that can be delivered quickly. Federal review timelines, fund‑type limitations and supply‑chain constraints—especially for rural projects—remain bottlenecks.

DOT invited legislators and the public to review the STIP amendment online and submit comments during the public comment window. The department also agreed to provide the committee with a project‑by‑project confidence ranking and more detailed advertising schedule information.

Ending: The committee offered to work with DOT on solutions that could accelerate project delivery and asked the department to follow up with the requested confidence ranking and clarifications about outstanding federal findings.","The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) released Amendment 2 to its Statewide Transportation Improvement Program for public comment through March 20 and told the Senate Finance Committee that federal reviews, program complexities and inflation are complicating project delivery and the summer construction pipeline.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DOT reports $373 million facility deferred‑maintenance backlog; department outlines condition assessments and prioritization process

DOT details federal rural ferry awards, notes pending grants and risks to Marine Highway cash flow

DOT opens STIP Amendment 2 for public comment, warns federal reviews and inflation are slowing delivery