Stip it up! Planning transportation projects.

• Author: Colby, Nicole A. Bonham
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Building Alaska & Transportation

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Known colloquially as the "blueprint" or "forecast" for federal-and state-funded transportation projects, the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) drives the process for converting a mix of federal and state--and sometimes local--dollars into tangible development and maintenance of Alaska's complex transportation system.

Currently one year into the 2012-2015 edition of the four-year program plan, state transport officials are managing hundreds of STIP projects identified for program funding during the four-year span and currently in various stages of development. The list does not include those projects that are already in final construction phase or those funded entirely from prior-year STIPs.

"Overall, the [current] STIP is fairly large--three hundred plus pages--and I think there are around 290 to 300 projects listed--[identifying] the funding that will be in demand," says Michael A. Vigue, division operations manager of the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities' Division of Program Development.

To the layperson, the published plan and its ongoing, dynamic amendments give an idea of the transportation-related construction that is ahead or in progress across the state. Current STIP projects identified for funding in the current four-year plan span the state from top to bottom: from extension of the existing Laura Madison Road in Barrow to construction of a sewage lagoon access road in Ambler, dock improvements at Akutan, and paving a two-lane road on Prince of Wales Island near Naukati.

Program Scope

The program, designed as the state's ongoing effort to develop, improve, and preserve its transport system, is required by federal statute for the state to use federal transport monies available through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration. The state receives some $485 million annually from the FHWA, says Vigue.

The STIP does not encompass all transport projects. For example, it does not include projects that are fully funded by the state or those covered under the Federal Aviation Administration or Municipal Harbor Facility Grant monies.

"The vast majority of the projects in the STIP are funded by the FHWA. That's the largest funding program that we have," says Vigue. "As far as the program goes, there are a lot of different funding categories and each of the categories has their own eligibilities." Funding largely occurs at a ratio of 90 percent federal funds and 10 percent state funds.

Spending categories reflected in the STIP include the National Highway System (NHS), which encompasses those routes designated as critical highways and ferry links providing access to population centers, borders, and public transit; the Community Transportation Program, which allows local governments, tribes, and others to partner with the state and federal governments to address local transportation-related needs; the Alaska Highway System, which spans a network of state highways, roads, and ferry links not otherwise part of the NHS; the Trails and Recreational Access for Alaska, encompassing bike and pedestrian paths and trails, preservation of historic sites and other recreation-style improvement; and, finally, a category called Mandatory Programs, which provides funding for specific federally-required transportation actions.

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