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DOT warns operator vacancies and aging equipment strain winter maintenance and sidewalks

Alaska State Senate Transportation Committee · January 27, 2026

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Summary

DOT officials told the Senate committee that staff shortages in remote stations, a reduction of $5M in prior budgets and aging equipment increase reliance on contractors, slow sidewalk clearing, and raise maintenance costs. State Equipment Fleet said 18 contracts were added and 30 more units are arriving this year; the state is self‑insured for equipment losses.

Burrell Nickison, central region maintenance and operations manager for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, told the Senate Transportation Committee on Jan. 27 that staffing vacancies and equipment limitations are constraining winter maintenance in parts of the state.

Nickison said contracted services are a part of DOT response for priority 3 and 4 roads, and that fiscal‑year 25 contracted costs were about $550,000 while FY26 contracted expenses so far were about $164,000. He cautioned that contracted call‑outs fluctuate with weather and that contractors receive on‑call payments plus billable call‑out work.

Committee members pressed DOT on operator vacancies and sidewalk clearing. Jason Sakhlaskas (region maintenance chief) said operator vacancies are concentrated at station level in remote communities (for example, Cordova within the Valdez district), and DOT has started apprenticeship programs, CDL testing and flexible schedules to recruit and retain operators.

Christie Futrell, contracting officer for State Equipment Fleet, said SCF has slightly improved vacancies, added snowblowers to ag tractors to increase year‑round utility and put 18 new contracts in service while 30 more units are expected to arrive starting in April. On insurance, Futrell said the state is self‑insured: "we do not. The state is self insured," meaning losses without a recoverable third party are direct agency costs.

Lawmakers and DOT agreed to follow up on budget requests and equipment replacement timing in a future session.