For most, the word metropolitan evokes images of subways or city skylines like those in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. Curious as it may seem, as of May 2002, federal transportation officials labeled Fairbanks as a metropolitan area along with these major cities.

Although contrary to how many Fairbanksans prefer to think of our quaint community, from a  transportation perspective, the metropolitan designation is actually quite beneficial. The urban qualification (population >50,000) allows for increased local control of how transportation funds are used in the Fairbanks area. To facilitate this local control, the federal regulations require a  Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) be formed.

The Fairbanks Metropolitan Area Transportation System, better know as FMATS, is the local MPO. FMATS is a consensus-based policy making body that plans for transportation investments according to the priorities of the MPO. These priorities are determined by the Technical and Policy Committees, comprised of representatives from local government (Fairbanks North Star Borough, and the Cities of Fairbanks and North Pole) as well as various transportation, environmental and land use authorities. Collectively, the agencies work with stakeholders and the public to promote a multi-modal transportation system that works for the betterment of the community.

FMATS develops transportation plans that integrate comprehensive region-wide plans and development patterns. These transportation plans are intended to go beyond the safe and efficient movement of goods and people, to promote economic progress, environmental protection and an improved quality of life. Such community oriented priorities are most apparent in the recently submitted Illinois Street TIGER grant application. 

Recognizing that the Fairbanks area did not receive transportation funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), FMATS applied for a discretionary grant in the amount of $15 million dollars to supplement the funding for the high profile Illinois Street Reconstruction Project. The Illinois Street project is expected to foster the the Vision Fairbanks downtown revitalization plan and has been identified as a catalyst project for the resulting economic development. If awarded, this additional funding would produce a significant number of local construction jobs. Awards for this grant are expected to be announced in February 2010.

The Gold Hill Bike Path is another example of FMATS having responded to the needs of the community. Boy Scout Troop 92 of Ester petitioned for the project, gathering nearly a hundred signatures. Their efforts went a long way to improve the project's competitiveness and FMATS ultimately decided to designate $440,000 for the preliminary engineering and environmental phases of this project.

FMATS is able to best serve the community when residents voice their needs and concerns. Public involvement in the planning process is key to the organizations success. Monthly FMATS meetings of the Technical Committee and the Policy Committee are open to the public and comments are welcome.

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FHWA: Metropolitan Planning

Illinois Street Reconstruction Project

Scouts Blaze Bike Path (Fairbanks Daily News Miner: July 13, 2009)

Drivers on Fairbanks area roads ought to stop and tune in to the transportation issues currently being played out in Congress-- issues with the near-term potential for redefining key transportation system funding parameters. Congressman Don Young spoke to the relevance and significance of such issues at the October 2009 FMATS Policy Committee meeting.

In his report on the status of the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009, Congressman Young told the Committee that Congress is having a problem passing the new transportation bill. The current bill, SAFETEA-LU, originally scheduled to expire on September 30, 2009, has been approved for extensions through December 18, 2009. He explained that the extensions allow for time to be spent crafting a new bill. The extensions also allow Alaska to continue receiving funds under the current formula. This formula benefits Alaska's roadways with a $5.44 return on every dollar that Alaskans pay out in gas taxes. Under this same formula, some more populous states receive less than $1 return per $1 contributed in gas taxes.

The delays in passing a bill are partly due to the magnitude of the challenges being addressed, the largest of which is funding. The Congressman explained that, as a nation, we are not collecting the money necessary to sustain the Highway Trust Fund. He described a variety of collection methods under consideration by Congress. "We are trying to reach a solution to a problem that really lets the user of the highway pay." He identified a user fee on gasoline as the fairest option-- the more you drive, the more you pay. For Alaska, he does not support other options such as a flat fee on vehicle registration, a tire tax or toll roads.

"We need a transportation bill," Congressman Young said, adding that he hopes to have a bill in place by the end of the year. He is advocating for a "robustly funded" transportation bill rather than an additional economic stimulus package. The Congressman also emphasized the importance of maintaining Alaska's existing facilities saying that he hopes to convince the administration that improving our "worn out" transportation system is necessary "to put the economy on the road to real recovery".

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U.S. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

When investing in a new car, it is a commonly known fact that routine maintenance is a critical part of maximizing your automobile investment. The same goes for the roads you drive on.

For that reason, FMATS has the explicitly stated goal of increasing the functional lifespan and utility of the facilities within the Fairbanks area. This goal helps steer the cost-effective investment of your taxpayer dollars into the preventive and routine maintenance of our existing transportation infrastructure.

One way that FMATS achieves this goal is through a Preventive Maintenance (PM) program. The PM program funds the periodic application of surface treatments to roads, bike paths and sidewalks. This federally funded program has the long-term goal of prolonging or preventing the need for more expensive rehabilitation or reconstruction projects.

Routine maintenance, on the other hand, serves the short-term purpose of providing safe, day-to-day access. The clearing of snow and debris, for example, guarantees that the facility is readily accessible and usable year round. Simply put, the more consistently the facility can be used, the more worthwhile the investment.

FMATS is not responsible for snow removal within the MPO. Routine maintenance efforts are typically the responsibility of the facility owner, whether that be the State of Alaska DOT&PF, the City of Fairbanks, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, or the City of North Pole. Most of the responsible agencies have a prioritized system and a dedicated staff for clearing snow on roads and sidewalks. Historically, in the Fairbanks area pedestrian facilities have been second priority at best.

In March 2009, the Access Alaska advocacy group Wall Busters released survey results that concluded that the single largest barrier to people with disabilities in Fairbanks is access to the MACS transit services along pedestrian facilities. Recognizing that the Fairbanks North Star Borough has seen, since the year 2000, an increase in both senior citizen and disabled populations (47% and 24% respectively), FMATS has taken action to promote improved year-round community pedestrian facility maintenance priorities in the MPO through the formation of the Seasonal Mobility Task Force.

The Seasonal Mobility Task Force was charged with strategizing maintenance solutions that provide for more consistent access for all users on high priority facilities within the FMATS boundaries. The group mapped key pedestrian generators such as bus routes, public buildings, retail centers, major employment centers and schools as a basis for access prioritization. The resulting analyses and recommendations will be presented at the FMATS Technical and Policy Committee meetings this winter.

Essentially, the group has concluded that the responsible agencies within the Fairbanks metropolitan area must assign greater priority to routine and preventive maintenance on the pedestrian facilities along identified routes, most importantly along MACS Transit routes. It is also recommended that consistent performance standards that define an acceptable level of service be developed and implemented. The recommendations will propose ways in which this can be achieved.

Northern Region DOT&PF has stepped up and taken the lead in improving winter pedestrian facility maintenance in the Fairbanks area. In a presentation at the November FMATS Technical Committee meeting, DOT&PF Maintenance and Operations representative Dan Schacher explained their improved strategy and how reallocated resources have allowed them to expand their sidewalk winter maintenance crew from two to three members. This increased capacity will allow them to better meet ADA standards and improve overall response time. 

If the other local agencies were to follow this lead and adopt comparable standards, the result would be a safe, dependable, and continuous pedestrian network throughout the FMATS area. This would provide for improved access along the MACS transit routes, decreased risk of liability and an increased quality of life for all residents alike.

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Sample Sidewalk Standards- Halifax, VA

FMATS is spearheading the initial phase of the Fairbanks Area SRTS program development. The program ties in directly with the FMATS long-range goal of providing for a safe, efficient, secure and interconnected multi-modal transportation system for all users. FMATS will utilize SRTS grant funding to gather public input, determine safe walking routes, identify infrastructure deficiencies, and make engineering recommendations . A Safe Routes to School Toolkit will be distributed to the Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board, the PTA and interested parents, so that the information can be used to influence decisions to improve their community. The Toolkit will provide walking route maps, safety infrastructure project recommendations, walking attitudes survey results, tip sheets describing the project nomination process and information on organizing Safe Routes to School programs at individual schools.