Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board

Planning (+)

Planning (-)

According to HB 63, DOT&PF, in consultation with AMHOB, shall prepare a short-term plan and a comprehensive long-range plan for the development and improvement of the Alaska Marine Highway System and shall, in consultation with AMHOB, revise and update the short-term plan annually and the comprehensive long-range plan at least every five years. The short-term plan must describe how effective and efficient progress toward priorities and goals defined in the comprehensive long-range plan will be attained, including recommendations for the state operating and capital budgets and a description of skill or competency gaps in the membership of AMHOB. The comprehensive long-range plan must consist of priorities and goals for the Alaska marine highway system and a proposed strategic maintenance and vessel replacement plan. It may recommend performance measures, including output, efficiency, and effectiveness. DOT&PF shall submit both plans and any revisions or updates to the legislature and the governor. The plans will be made available to the public.

The history of AMHS may be relevant when analyzing the current system.

AMHS Materials

Re-Energizing the Alaska Marine Highway System, DOT&PF, December 21

Relevant Studies

Performance Goals (+)

Performance Goals (-)

AMHOB may recommend performance measures, including output, efficiency, and effectiveness. The comprehensive long-range plan will include priorities and goals for the Alaska marine highway system. Progress towards these performance goals will be made available online.

Relevant Materials

Governance (+)

Governance (-)

How AMHS is governed, meaning how the organization is controlled and operated, has been frequently debated publicly since 1982. Governance activities include oversight, strategic planning, decision-making, and financial planning. In the 2020 Reshaping Working Group Report to the Governor, it was recommended that system governance be strengthened and additional governance support provided. AMHOB was established out of this recommendation.

Relevant Studies

Previous Presentations

IIJA Funding and Discretionary Grants (+)

IIJA Funding and Discretionary Grants (-)

Multimodal Project Discretionary Grants (MPDG)

Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) Grants

Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program Discretionary Grants

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) FY2022 Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program funding opportunity under the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) was released with approximately $209 million; the following proposals were submitted on September 6, 2022.

Infrastructure Upgrades/Repairs

Critical Upgrades to Ferry Dock Infrastructure in Five Rural Alaska Communities - This bundled application is an effective way to increase the sustainability of five current rural AMHS port operations, ensuring service continues into three disadvantaged communities and improving the safety and efficiency of operations from two hub communities that are essential to regional operations; the project will upgrade dock infrastructure in Juneau and Cordova, and replace current docks in Pelican, Tatitlek, and Chenega, without which service may cease.
Appendix A - Maps & route schedules
Appendix B - Technical Volume
Appendix C - Letters of support
2020 Annual Traffic Volume Report
Auke Bay - Project Development Schedule (.xlsx)
Auke Bay - SSE
Chenega - Project Development Schedule (.xlsx)
Chenega - SSE
Cordova - Project Development Schedule(.xlsx)
Cordova- SSE
Pelican - SSE
Tatitlek - Project Development Schedule(.xlsx)
Tatitlek - SSE

Total Project Cost: $56,848,018
Federal Request: $45,478,414
State Funded Match: $11,369,604
Modernization of Four Critical AMHS Vessels Necessary for Service and Environmental Benefits - This bundled project will address shovel-ready projects for vessel improvements that will contribute to more reliable and improved service, environmental benefits, increased safety and the state of good repair, and continued quality of transit to underserved communities; the modernization efforts will improve passenger experience and operational activities on the Columbia and Matanuska, increase the route options of the Tazlina, and improve environmental considerations of the Kennicott.
Appendix A - Maps & Route Schedules
Appendix B - Technical Volume
Appendix C - Letters of Support

Total Project Cost:$90,081,932
Federal Request: $72,065,546
State Funded Match: $18,016,386

New Builds

Replacement of the M/V Tustumena Vessel Serving Rural Southwest Alaska - This Alaska Marine Highway System project enables the long-awaited construction of the Tustumena Replacement Vessel (TRV), allowing the sixty-year-old M/V Tustumena to retire, which will provide continued and enhanced service to many disadvantaged communities of Southwest Alaska; as part of this project, design updates to the new vessel's diesel-hybrid propulsion system, with batteries, will provide a safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly platform for public transportation.
Appendix A - Maps & Route Schedules
Appendix B - Technical Volume TRV
Appendix C - Letters of Support

Total Project Cost: $85,610,480
Federal Request: $68,488,384
State Funded Match: $17,122,096
Cultivating a Systems Approach to Sustainable Transportation by Implementing Climate Responsive Ferry Vessel Options - DOT&PF requests $48.1 million to procure an electric ferry that will improve and sustain essential transportation services to rural port communities, demonstrating innovative approaches that increase efficiency, decrease emissions, promote transportation sustainability, and increase grid resilience while improving the overall sustainability of Alaska's ferry system.
Appendix A - Maps & Route Schedules
Appendix B - Technical Volume TRV
Appendix C - Letters of Support
Comparison Calculator

Total Project Cost: $57,767,509
Federal Request: $46,214,008
State Funded Match: $11,553,502
Anticipating Future Service & Replacement Needs: Designing a New Alaska Mainliner - This planning grant will support the early steps of the process to replace the current aging mainliner vessels to provide continued and enhanced service to the communities of Southeast Alaska, providing for a new vessel that will offer a safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly platform for public transportation and the delivery of freight between small and rural communities.
Appendix A - Maps & Route Schedules
Appendix B - Technical Volume
Appendix C - Letters of Support

Total Project Cost: $10,739,520
Federal Request: $8,591,616
State Funded Match: $2,147,904

Operational Support

Restoring the Health of the AMHS for Sustainable Operations to Rural Communities - The AMHS Sustainable Operations funding request will strengthen the ferry system in Alaska, which serves more than 30 communities covering 3,500 miles of coastline, by ensuring that route coverage is appropriate and in place for served communities, and that seasonal route schedules are able to respond to the increased workforce or travel demands, and that vessels have their necessary preventative maintenance addressed.
Appendix A - Maps & Route Schedules
Appendix B - Technical Volume
Appendix C - Letters of Support

Total Project Cost: $89,647,600
Federal Request: $44,823,800
State Funded Match: $44,823,800

Totals:
Project Cost: $390,695,059
Federal Request: $285,661,767
State Funded Match: $105,033,292

Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities