Several members of ASAH gave a presentation to the House Transportation Committee in Juneau on February 20, 2025, during Highway Safety Week. Our presentation followed one given by the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) and begins at about the 2:17:00 PM mark. ASAH presented information from the Alaska-Richardson-Steese Corridor Action Plan (ARS-CAP) which was done by Kinney Engineering. At the conclusion of our talk, we asked the Transportation Committee for 3 things:
- Increase staff funding to DOT&PF to enable at least one weigh station along the ore haul to be open at all times.
- Continue work on legislation for an upper weight limit on Alaska roads.
- Consider section 17 AAC 35.010 of the Alaska Administrative Code, which discusses industrial roads and the criteria for determining what is required of industrial users.
We are delighted to learn that Rep. Ashley Carrick subsequently proposed an amendment to the DOT&PF budget (bottom of page 2) to secure an additional full-time employee at the Richardson Highway Northbound Weigh Station between Fairbanks and North Pole. After it passed, Rep. Carrick stated, “With the increase in heavy industrial use of our public highways, this is an important investment to make sure that our roadways are safe and that vehicles are within posted weight limits.”
Rep. Carrick also put forth an amendment that passed to require the DOT&PF to hire a dedicated Director for DOT’s Northern Region.
ASAH would like to thank Rep. Carrick and Rep. Eischeid, Transportation Committee Co-chairs, and the entire House Transportation Committee for their warm welcome while we were in Juneau. ASAH members also met with many legislators during our 3 day stay to discuss our concerns.