Alaska’s share of federal highway funding steady

  • By Molly Dischner
  • Saturday, February 21, 2015 9:26pm
  • News

JUNEAU — Major transportation projects are being put on hold, or remain in limbo, as the state of Alaska deals with the fallout of declining oil prices and the changing priorities of a new administration.

But other projects, such as the recent $25 million Brotherhood Bridge replacement project in Juneau, continue to be paid for by a federal government fund that has been very friendly to Alaska over the years.

Figures compiled by The Associated Press show the total amount of money available to states from the Federal Highway Trust Fund has declined 3.5 percent during the five-year period ending in 2013, the latest year for which numbers were available. During that span, the amount of inflation-adjusted federal highway money dropped in all states but Alaska and New York.

Federal funding for Alaska’s highways and other projects has held steady in recent years.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

For fiscal year 2013, Alaska received about $545 million from the Federal Highway Trust Fund, on par with the inflation-adjusted $542 million the state received in 2008. Overall, the state also saw about a 25 percent increase in total state and federal highway spending, once adjusted for inflation.

When all state and federal funding sources are tallied, including earmarks, the total transportation spending for Alaska in 2013 was about $990 million.

Over the years, members of Alaska’s congressional delegation have pushed to secure federal funding for transportation projects in Alaska, arguing the federal government should help pay for roads and bridges in this young state.

For now, the state’s budget situation won’t put securing federal funds at risk, although that could change.

Federally funded transportation projects generally require a match, anywhere in the range from 6 to 20 percent depending on the project, said state Department of Transportation spokesman Jeremy Woodrow.

New Gov. Bill Walker has put several big-ticket transportation projects on hold, including building a new road for the Ambler mining district.

Walker’s proposed capital budget for next year includes about $63 million to serve as a match for federal funds, Woodrow said.

Each year, the budget typically contains a lump sum for matches, and the department can apply it to whichever projects need it.

“If the state match were constrained, then a decision would have to be made by the Governor and/or Legislature as to which projects are priority,” Woodrow wrote in an email.

That hasn’t happened yet.

Woodrow said the state typically budgets for covering an extra 30 percent of funding, to be on the safe side.

The state has about $150 million left of roughly $1 billion in earmarks that began accumulating in 2005.

Woodrow said the projects with the most federal funding still on the table are the Knik Arm Crossing, which would help pay for a toll bridge connecting Anchorage to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and a project to connect Ketchikan to its airport on a neighboring island.

Former Gov. Sarah Palin nixed the Ketchikan project, the so-called Bridge to Nowhere, but the state still has access to the money and is looking at other ways for residents to access the airport.

 

More in News

Jason Criss stands for a photo in Soldotna, Alaska, after being named a qualifier for the Special Olympics USA Games on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna athlete to compete in 2026 Special Olympics USA Games

Thousands of athletes from across all 50 states will be competing in 16 sports.

The entrance to the Homer Electric Association office is seen here in Kenai, Alaska on May 7, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
HEA opens bids for real property

The deadline to submit bids is 5 p.m. on Aug. 11.

Arturo Mondragon-Lopez, Jr. (right) attends a change of plea hearing related to the October 2023 fatal shooting of Brianna Hetrick on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Homer Courthouse in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Mondragon-Lopez sentenced for death of Homer woman

Arturo Mondragon-Lopez, Jr. accepted a plea deal in February for the shooting of Brianna Hetrick.

Soldotna City Hall is seen on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna OKs $395,000 capital plan

This year’s list of capital projects is “nominal compared to some past years,” according to officials.

A map of areas proposed for annexation by the City of Soldotna. (Provided by City of Soldotna)
Soldotna adds annexation proposal to ballot

The proposed annexation is split across five small areas around the city.

Nets are extended from North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, during the first day of the Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘A really good day’

Kenai River personal use sockeye salmon dipnet fishery opens.

The entrance to the Kenai Peninsula Borough building in Soldotna is seen here on June 1. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough assembly to consider ordinance to increase residential property tax exemption

If approved by voters in October, the ordinance would increase the tax exemption by $25,000.

Vice President Kelly Cooper speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough considers seasonal sales tax rate

Borough sales tax would be modified from a flat 3% to a seasonal model of 4% in summer months and 2% in winter months.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in