IDAHO NATIONAL TRANSPORTER Idaho
Transportation
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Alaska has a problem – more transportation infrastructure needs than available resources to meet those needs. Sound familiar? Unlike most states, Alaska relies almost solely on federal money to fund transportation projects. In 2008, nearly three-quarters of Alaska’s $810 million transportation budget came from federal funding. Future plans for the 49th state include a possible $2 billion transportation investment program. Deputy Director Scott Stokes said that he was happy to share the key elements of Idaho’s successful GARVEE Program with the delegation. Stokes said he was particularly pleased with recent actions during the global economic crisis.
“The wisdom of our financial people outsmarted the markets,” Stokes said. “We took a conservative approach to ensure that we could finance contractors through the duration of construction. We did the right things.” He added the Alaska group was interested specifically in the concept of a program manager and how that worked. “We were proud to tell the Alaska delegation about how we evolved the program management model to one that involves department staff in every aspect of the program,” Brinkman said. “We credit our success in this transition to the flexibility and adaptability that both ITD staff and our consultant community have shown.” Published 2-6-9 |