JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON – Friday, representatives with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District and City of Unalaska conducted a signing ceremony for an agreement that advances the construction of the Unalaska Channel project.

Officially known as a “project partnership agreement,” the document was signed by Col. Jeffrey Palazzini, district commander, and Bil Homka, city manager of Unalaska, on March 29 to provide a 600-by-600-foot dredged channel with a depth of minus 58 feet in Dutch Harbor. The agreement describes the project and responsibilities of the federal government and the non-federal sponsor, which is the City of Unalaska, in the cost-sharing and execution of work. When this milestone is achieved in the federal process, both entities can work together to implement the project.

“This will be a vital upgrade to an important port facility that serves our nation,” Palazzini said. “We look forward to this collaborative effort with the City of Unalaska to improve safety for mariners and strengthen the supply chain of the North Pacific and Bering Sea.”

Currently, a bar shallower than the surrounding seabed located at the entrance to Iliuliuk Bay limits access to Dutch Harbor. The current depth prevents deeper draft vessels from safely passing over the bar and mariners must take precautionary measures to safely traverse the area. This project will require dredging an estimated 172,000 cubic yards of material. The total project was allocated $29.1 million during the federal government’s fiscal year in 2023. The federal government will provide 75 percent of the cost share for construction and the non-federal sponsor responsible for the remaining 25 percent.

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.

Work is anticipated to begin in July 2024 and be completed by December 2024.

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