Juneau -- Tuesday, the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Facilities placed funds in the state budget to re-open several state highway maintenance stations, including the North Kenai Maintenance Station. The subcommittee, chaired by Senator John Torgerson, also voted to fund to plow open several roads across the state this spring.

In Fiscal Year 2000, the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities reallocated the budgeted funds for operating the highway maintenance stations to other areas, assuming that the impacts in service would be minimal. Due to the harsh storms and heavy snowfall this past winter, the loss of these maintenance stations had a large impact on surrounding residents.

"The decrease in service created a situation that was not safe for those traveling in the area," said Senator Torgerson. "Many of our children travel by school bus along the highways that were affected by the maintenance closures, causing concern for their safety if the roads can not be maintained to reasonable levels. Many constituents called me, sharing their concern over this decrease in safety, so I searched out the necessary funds to reopen the stations."

Senator Torgerson and the subcommittee voted to transfer funds from the Highway Working Capital Fund to reopen the maintenance stations. In addition to the North Kenai Maintenance Station, the stations in Kalsin Bay, Moose Pass, Willow, Trims and Birch Lake will be reopened.

The subcommittee also voted to return funds for plowing roads closed by winter snow to the budget. This reverses an earlier decision by the Senate Finance Committee to cut funding for this project, allowing the roads to clear by natural thawing, and significantly increasing the waiting time for the roads to reopen.

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= John Torgerson, 80 K