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Senate bill to toll Dalton Highway for industrial traffic draws legal questions from DOT
Summary
Sponsor Scott Kawasaki presented SB286 to create a toll near Deadhorse for industrial vehicles to help fund the Dalton Highway. DOT counsel said federal authorization and a corridor feasibility study would likely be needed; the committee set the measure aside for further work.
Senate Bill 286, introduced by Chair Kawasaki, would authorize a toll near Deadhorse on the Dalton Highway for vehicles carrying people or goods for oil and gas companies as a user‑pay mechanism to fund road maintenance.
Staff described the Dalton Highway as an over‑400‑mile industrial corridor with heavy wear from industrial traffic and an estimated $16 million annual maintenance cost. The bill would exempt local residents, tourists and subsistence hunters and would include a reimbursement requirement for major producers if small operators pay tolls while working for them.
Senator Bjorkman asked whether federal permissions are required to toll a federal‑aid route. Andy Mills, legislative liaison for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, said the state does not currently have authorization for such a facility and that establishing a toll on a federal‑aid route typically requires a corridor feasibility study and certain modifications before tolls can be implemented.
Committee staff and the sponsor said the bill is an early model intended to prompt discussion about alternative revenue options to offset highway maintenance costs. The committee set SB286 aside for a future hearing to allow follow‑up on legal and feasibility questions.
Next steps: Additional technical and legal analysis, including coordination with DOT and federal partners, was requested before the committee will take further action.
