(SitNews) - The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) Southeast Region will host a series of public meetings in September and October to gather public input regarding alternatives to be considered for the update of the Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan (SATP).

The Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan (SATP) is a regional multimodal transportation plan that provides a framework for improving transportation connections between communities within the region. The plan looks at Southeast Alaska’s network of roads, ferries and airports, and at the operating and maintenance costs of the network.

The update to the 2004 plan will consider changes in Southeast Alaska’s industries, economy, population, and infrastructure, as well as current fiscal outlook and costs. This update began in 2008 when a Mission Statement and Goals were developed with public input. Most recently, ADOT&PF released a Scoping Report for the 2011-2012 SATP update, with six preliminary alternatives.

The public meetings will explain the preliminary alternatives and answer questions. After these meetings, ADOTP&F will issue a draft SATP and conduct another series of public meetings tentatively scheduled for spring 2012. Issuance of the final SATP is expected in 2012.

Meetings will be held in the following communities on the following dates:

Note not to confuse the SATP with the 2012-2015 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) that was recently out for public review.

THE SIX PRELIMINARY ALTERNATIVES

1: Maintain the Existing System

Alternative 1 identifies the costs to maintain the existing ferry system. It is thus a “baseline” alternative against which other alternatives are compared.

2: Fleet Capacity Management

Alternative 2 identifies the costs, benefits, and impacts to manage fleet capacity in a way that more closely matches current and projected future traffic demand.

3: Maximize Use of Existing Roads

Alternative 3 identifies the costs, benefits, and impacts of discontinuing ferry service to Bellingham and across the Gulf of Alaska, including Yakutat.

4: Alaska Class Ferries

Alternative 4 identifies the costs, benefits and impacts to replace the three aging mainline ferries with three 350 foot “Alaska Class” ferries and a new mainline ferry.

5: Continue to Build Highway Route 7

Alternative 5 identifies the costs, benefits, and impacts of replacing the existing mainline ferry system with a system based on road segments connected by shuttle ferries.

6: No Action

Alternative 6 evaluates what happens to the transportation system if no action occurs to replace the three aged mainline ferries.

Comments are due no later than Friday, November 4, 2011 and may be sent by email, fax or mail.

Email: dot.satp@alaska.gov
Fax: 907-465-2016
Mail: ADOT&PF Southeast Region
6860 Glacier Highway
Juneau, AK 99801-7999

ADOT&PF oversees 254 airports, 11 ferries serving 33 communities, 5,700 miles of highway and 660 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska.

Source of News: 

Alaska Department of Transportation
www.dot.state.ak.us

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