The Alaska Department of transportation has announced that they will be advertising for submission of proposal packages for the procurement of consultant architectural, engineering, and construction services for the reconstruction of the peir one facility in Kodiak.

Kodiak has been served by the ferry system for over 40 years, and for most of that time, the Tustumena has berthed at pier one. In recent years, the Kennicott has also began service to Kodiak. The addition of this second ferry has made it necessary to make changes to the berthing areas.

Operational issues have risen with the accomodations in Kodiak. For instance, since the Kennicott cannot transit the Near Island Bridge, it is necessary for that ferry to use pier two, commonly known as the city dock. That dock does not have ticketing facilities or a system in place for vehicle offloading. Because of the system in place on the Kennicott, a roll on/roll off system is needed. There are safety concerns with the present system.

Pier one has been adequate through the years for embarking and debarking from Kodiak, but the facility has aged considerably and is also no longer sufficient for the increased traffic flow to and from the ferry.

Engineering studies to date have looked at five potential locations as outlined on Figure 1. These locations include Piers 1 and 2, City Transient Float, Near Island, Saint Paul Harbor breakwater and the Lash Dock (Womens Bay). Of these locations, only Pier 2, Saint Paul Harbor breakwater, and the Lash dock sites have the capability to be used by both the Kennicott and the Tustumena. A reconnaissance engineering study was prepared in February 2007. The 2007 report identified the preferred location to be at Near Island; however, additional investigations revealed that this location was not suitable for safe use by the Kennicott.

With elimination of the preferred alternative, the next best option considered in the reconnaissance study was development on the St. Paul Harbor breakwater. AMHS’s preferred configuration was a terminal at the south end of the breakwater with the vessel bow pointing to the southwest. At this location vessels have more space to maneuver during their approach and more room leeward if needed during adverse weather. Construction of a terminal at this site is expensive however and requires a pile supported dock and an approach and staging area embankment. Initial cost estimates far exceeded the available funding. The general consensus was this project was unaffordable and project development stalled.

In June 2011, it was decided that due to funding constraints, the available project funds would be used to focus efforts on the reconstruction of the Pier 1 facility. Although if funding can be found, the St Paul Harbor terminal option can still be considered.