Posted on July 22, 2024
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON — Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District awarded a construction contract for the Unalaska (Dutch Harbor) Channels project in the Aleutian Islands.
J.E. McAmis Inc. of Chico, California, will dredge a 600-by-600-foot channel with a depth of minus 58 feet at the entrance to Iliuliuk Bay near Unalaska. Currently, a bar shallower than the surrounding seabed located at the entrance to the bay limits access to Dutch Harbor. The project aims to improve navigation to the vital port facility that serves Alaska and the nation. Initial estimates of deepening the channel would involve dredging about 172,000 cubic yards of sediment.
“This project is going to improve safety for mariners and strengthen the supply chain of the North Pacific and Bering Sea,” said Col. Jeffrey Palazzini, commander of the Alaska District. “Our strong partnership with the City of Unalaska has been integral to all aspects of this project starting with the study phase leading to construction.”
The current depth prevents deeper draft vessels from safely passing over the bar and mariners must take precautionary measures to safely traverse the area. The total project was awarded at $9.2 million and will be cost shared with the City of Unalaska with the federal government providing 75 percent and the non-federal sponsor responsible for the remaining 25 percent.
In February 2019, the district completed a final feasibility report that recommended this dredging operation. One year later, the Chief’s Report was signed that progressed the project to Congress for authorization. In March 2024, USACE and the City of Unalaska signed a “project partnership agreement” that allowed the two entities to begin working together to implement the project with today’s award being the next major milestone.
The City of Unalaska is in the Aleutian Islands and about 800 air miles from Anchorage. Dutch Harbor is a port facility on Amaknak Island within the city. It is the only deep draft port that remains ice-free all year along the 1,200-mile Aleutian Island chain. For more than 30 years, Unalaska’s economy has been based on commercial fishing, seafood processing, fleet services and marine transportation. It has the most western container terminal in the U.S.
A notice to proceed is anticipated in July 2024 with construction expected to begin in the spring of 2025.
