Every day, Alaskans travel on roads and infrastructure that connect us to work, family and the places that make our state home. But building and maintaining those roads relies on a state and federal partnership.

Alaska DOT&PF’s capital construction program is facing an unprecedented challenge, and time is running out to fix it.

A breakdown in the funding process during the 2025 legislative session left Alaska without the required state match for the current construction program. As a result, Alaska is still missing the 10% state match needed to access the federal funds that cover the remaining 90% of project costs.

Acting now to match federal funds is critical. Similar to years past, our small investment will unlock hundreds of millions in federal dollars to make highways safer, repair bridges, and upgrade airports statewide. Add it all up and it means more than half a billion dollars moving through our economy. There is still an opportunity to fix this, but only if the Legislature acts quickly after convening on January 20.

Think of it this way:

Imagine your employer offered you $9,000 for every $1,000 you contributed to your retirement account. You’d jump at that deal, right? No one would miss out on that kind of return.

That’s essentially how the 9:1 federal highway funding match works for Alaska. If we don’t make that small investment, we lose out on the much larger federal share, and that money goes to other states instead.

Meeting the match continues to be one of the smartest financial decisions we can make. It keeps critical transportation projects moving forward in every region of the state.