DOT reports $373 million facility deferred‑maintenance backlog; department outlines condition assessments and prioritization process

The Department of Transportation and Public Facilities told the Senate Finance Committee that its division responsible for buildings and facilities is tracking a deferred‑maintenance backlog of roughly $373 million and outlined a multi‑step process to assess and prioritize repairs.

Christopher Hodgins, a project delivery lead in DOT's division of facility services, told the committee the division owns 706 facilities across the state, of which 668 are DOT mission‑specific buildings such as highway and aviation maintenance stations and equipment storage. "Our current division backlog in deferred maintenance is 373,000,000," Hodgins said, and he explained that about $163 million of that total is for DOT‑specific facilities while roughly $210 million is associated with Public Building Fund facilities.

Hodgins described a three‑tier approach DOT is using: (1) conduct facility condition assessments, (2) prioritize deferred‑maintenance projects within the department and present them to the statewide facilities council, and (3) submit prioritized projects to the Office of Management and Budget for funding consideration. He said the department completed condition assessments for 28 high‑occupancy, high square‑footage facilities during the past year and will expand assessments to additional DOT facilities, many of which are remote and require travel.

Committee members asked about the governor's proposed FY26 funding for deferred maintenance and staffing for remote maintenance stations. DOT told the committee the governor's proposed funding for deferred maintenance across the executive branch is on the order of $20 million; DOT said it will provide updated lists and clarified schedules. Hodgins and Deputy Commissioner Catherine Keith said the department uses a mathematical project‑index prioritization method that combines facility importance, system impact and need to create a ranked list for the statewide facilities council and OMB.

Senators also raised operational challenges: remote maintenance camps and staffing shortages can delay Winter response and routine maintenance work, and the committee asked DOT to supply the full prioritized backlog so legislators can assess capital planning across departments.

Ending: DOT said it will expand facility condition assessments, provide the committee with corrected historical allocation charts and the department's prioritized deferred‑maintenance list for the committee's review.