DOT previews rolling STIP (STEP) and flags growing number of $100M+ projects

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities told the Senate Transportation Committee it is moving to a rolling STIP (STEP) that will keep a four‑year horizon but be renewed every two years, publish a technical draft in February, and include clearer plain-language narratives and appendices on project scoring.

Ryan Anderson said the STEP approach aims to prevent past lapses where step approval timing caused implementation gaps and that DOT has incorporated FHWA and FTA recommendations to simplify language, streamline amendments and clarify how advanced construction and toll credits are shown.

Anderson also warned that more projects now exceed $100 million and that a suite of very large projects (for example, Dalton Highway work and large bridge replacements on the Alaska Highway, a potential Juneau–Douglas north crossing and Cooper Landing/Seward corridor projects) will require special attention and coordination.

Lawmakers asked how large projects can be broken into bids accessible to smaller contractors; Anderson said DOT attempts to phase work into $30–$40 million packages when feasible but acknowledged some work must be delivered at scale.

Anderson said DOT will open public comment on the STEP narrative in February and will include a dedicated volume for project scoring to improve transparency, as requested by committee members.