Comments Sought on RTP Change to Department of Transportation

UPDATE 11/13/2025: The deadlines to comment and to apply for the new advisory committee have been extended. The new deadlines are 4 p.m. Alaska Time, December 5. (And it still doesn’t have a timeline for the next round of grants.)

UPDATE 11/03/2025: DOT is working on getting the RTP application back up and setting a schedule. 

An order to change the Recreational Trails Program to the Department of Transportation has some trail advocates wary, though the move does have some justification.

The public can comment on this change. The deadline to comment is 4 p.m. Alaska Time, Wednesday, November 12. Also, a new advisory committee is being formed to advise the department on how Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds will be spent. Find out more, including how to comment and how to apply to be on the advisory committee HERE.

Change Made by Order of Governor

In an October 9 letter, Ryan Anderson, director of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (AKDOT), explained the move, which was made through an administrative order by Governor Dunleavy. You can see the letter HERE.

See the new Department of Transportation RTP page HERE.

Historically, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (AK DNR) has overseen the RTP, though the money comes through the AK DOT because it originates with the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

The RTP is the single biggest and most consistent funder of trails in Alaska. It brings to the state well over $1 million a year for trails. It is distributed to a variety of nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and tribes across the state, along with state agencies, especially state parks. Distribution of the money is largely based on the merits of the submitted project applications. An advisory board of citizens helps decide which projects are funded.

Past RTP Moves Have Advocates Wary

While the move may seem innocuous to some, past attempts to steer all Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds to state government operations have some trail advocates on edge. 

The most recent attempt to steer all the money to state parks happened a little over a month ago. That was thwarted due to quick lobbying by advocates and intervention by Gov. Dunleavy. You can read about that HERE.

A similar effort happened in 2019. At the time, Gov. Dunleavy was less inclined to intervene, but a strong and persistent lobbying campaign changed his mind. This time, he didn’t seem to hesitate to keep RTP available to others besides state parks. 

And, according to a long-time Alaska Trail advocate, years ago the AK DOT took the federal pass thru money from the feds as usual. but then tried to keep it for highways. Alaska State Parks and the governor stepped in to make sure it got passed on to the AK DNR. 

Andrea Jacobs, trails coordinator for the Fairbanks North Star Borough, is concerned that the RTP may “lose its focus on outdoor recreation and somehow become absorbed into the large-scale transportation focus of the DOT,” but she is ready to see how things play out.

“I’m curious to see how this evolves and what priority/staffing the RTP program is given.”

Other trail advocates are also concerned that RTP funds may become more road-focused with the change. The AK DOT already oversees other trail funds, but those are usually for projects like bike/ped paths along highways. While RTP funds have been used in projects like that in the past, a large portion of those funds have typically gone to more remote trails. However, while trail advocates are concerned, there is no indication that will change with the move to AK DOT. Vigilance will be required by advocates to watch how program funds are spent with the change. Please encourage trusted trail advocates to apply to be on the advisory board.

Trails Part of Overall State Transportation Network

However, changing oversight of the RTP to AKDOT makes sense in several ways. 

• The RTP originates in the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, which is a division of the United States Department of Transportation. (Funds for the RTP come from gas taxes collected from nonhighway recreational fuel use, such as ATVs, snowmachines, and off-highway motorcycles.)
• In recent years the state has moved toward including trails, as well as non-motorized travel, within overall transportation planning. For example, the introduction page of the “Long Range Transportation Plan 2055,” says that “Walking & Biking Paths” will be included in “how people and goods move across Alaska.” Read more about the plan HERE.
• The Snowmobile Grant Program (aka SnowTRAC) was transferred to the AKDOT on July 1, 2023. I have not heard anything bad about that move.
• In other states the RTP is administered most often by a state park or natural resource agency (38 states or 74%), but several (7 states or 14%) are within a state transportation agency.  The rest are in another type of agency. (Thanks to Geoffrey Orth for that compilation from this PAGE.)

Public Can Comment

While the move has already been made, the public can comment on it. Comments must be received no later than 4 p.m. Alaska Time, Wednesday, November 12. This would be a good time to ask that a large portion of the funding continue to go to nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and tribes.

Also, the previous RTP advisory board in the Department of Natural Resources is being dissolved. A new one is being formed in the AKDOT. People can also apply for or comment on the formation of the new Alaska Recreational Trails Advisory Committee (ARTAC), which “advises Alaska DOT&PF on project selection and program administration.”

Send comments to dot.rtp@alaska.gov (subject: “RTP & ARTAC RFI”)

Or

U.S. Mail:
P.O. Box 112500
Juneau, AK 99811-2500

See the official notice HERE.

My Comments

Here are the comments I submitted:

Commissioner Ryan Anderson: 

While I am not opposed to the Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) taking over administration of the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), I do have some concerns. With this change I ask that:

• Paved urban trails don’t get special preference to naturally surfaced trails
• Trails don’t require more engineering than they are already getting
• The RTP program doesn’t get lost in the DOT&PF’s larger mission
• The program retains the federally mandated 30% motorized, 30% non-motorized and 40% diversified split.

Most importantly, I ask that the state not try to take all the money from the RTP program for state operations. This has been attempted several times, including very recently. Alaska is a huge state with a diverse population. Many great trails have been built, repaired, or maintained by nonprofits and non-state governmental organizations using these funds. The RTP should remain accessible to a wide variety of organizations. 

Eric Troyer
Editor and Publisher
Interior Alaska Trails Newsletter

Your Thoughts?

If anyone else has any thoughts on this change, please leave your comments below or send them to me at fbxtrails@gmail.com.