Summer Bay Bridge Replacement Project

PRESS RELEASE
Re: Summer Bay Bridge Replacement Project

Unalaska, Alaska, May 22, 2014 – The purpose of the Summer Bay Bridge Replacement Project is to replace the existing wooden bridge with a more durable steel bridge with a concrete driving surface. 

The existing bridge was designed and built in 1981.  The existing bridge is NOT listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Summer Bay Bridge is registered with the National Bridge Inventory managed by the U.S. Department of Transportation as Bridge Number 1686.

Department of Transportation bridge inspectors identified numerous deficiencies and recommended that the existing bridge be replaced.

After a public bid process, the construction contract was awarded to Northern Alaska Contractors.  The Final Completion Date is October 5, 2014.  The construction contract amount is $2,041,920.  Of that amount, the Qawalangin Tribe contributed $1,220,307 and the City of Unalaska contributed the remainder.

The new bridge will be 70’ long x 26’3” wide (24’ driving surface - guard rail to guard rail).  The finished product removes twenty creosote impregnated wood piles from the creek bed.  The final bridge spans the entire creek, clearing it of obstructions.  New support piles will be located on the uplands, not in the water.  New pilings are 24” in diameter and made of ¾” thick steel.

Permits have been obtained from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and are in place to legally allow work in the creek between May 15 and July 15, 2014.  The City worked with these two agencies to obtain permits and to incorporate regulatory requirements into the construction contract. 

The contractor has a requirement to provide erosion, sediment and pollution control measures.  The contractor produced a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) that will be filed with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation prior to production work near the creek.  The SWPPP provides measures to minimize erosion and silt from entering the water.  SWPPPs are only required by regulation for projects exceeding one acre, but the SWPPP was required by the City in this case to assure sediments are contained and the fish are protected. 

The contractor is staging some material now but is planning to start actual construction work in early to mid-June.   Material submittals (descriptions, specifications and samples) were approved last week. 

Work in the actual creek bed is limited to removing the existing bridge and placing armor stone in the creek bottom for 6’ from the toe of the embankments.  All other work, including placement of armor stone and driving piles for the new bridge foundation will be done from the uplands.

Actual work in the creek below water level will be limited to a few of days, although permitting allows work for a 60-day period of time.  The contractor is expected to avoid in-creek work at high tides and at night to allow fish periods of time for undisturbed migration.

For further information, contact:

Thomas E. Cohenour
Director of Public Works
City of Unalaska
(907) 581-1260 – telephone
(907) 359-5056 – cell
Email:  [email protected]