Project Overview
With no road access, the 100-person community of Tenakee Springs relies on ships coming to call at its public multimodal dock facility to deliver food, medicine, and supplies. But an old, failing dock from 1977, having had minimal maintenance, was the only freight connection between the town and the outside world. With missing safety railings and multiple failing structural components, the facility was becoming a safety hazard.
PND was retained to design improvements to renovate the existing facility, providing contract and project management services while leading a multidisciplinary consultant team.
The facility renovation partially utilized existing steel piles, while a larger addition utilized a new steel-pile supported concrete deck. Precast concrete deck panels were added over the new and existing substructures to provide a robust surface supporting both vehicle and freight transfer. A steel multigirder transfer bridge with an adjustable hydraulic ramp was used to accommodate a variety of ferry types, while a new timber moorage float improves smaller vessel access. Only ATVs and pedestrians had access to the dock before its improvements.
With open dock access, services from maintenance and emergency vehicles, baggage carts/trucks and freight forklifts can now service the facility using AMHS and local freight barge vessels, expanding economic opportunities for the community. Completed in November 2020, the project received an honorable mention from the Juneau Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers in its Project of the Year awards competition.
Our Role
- Permitting: provided support to secure necessary construction permits, ensured compliance with environmental regulations, and facilitated coordination with stakeholders
- Civil Engineering: managed cathodic protection for the steel pipe piles; assisted with structural fill and embankment during a value engineering stage, significantly increasing available uplands space
- Structural Engineering: removal and replacement of existing concrete deck panels; design of a new lateral force resisting system utilizing existing steel piles and caps; a new transfer bridge, bridge landing float, mooring and breasting dolphins, fendering and moorage float
- Construction Support: careful management of schedule and phases during construction to maintain access to federal funding before expiration
A Crucial Lifeline for a Ferry-Reliant Community
The exclusively water-accessible community of Tenakee Springs, Alaska, needed an update to its aging terminal. With PND leading the design for the renovation of the facility, our geotechnical and structural engineering teams were able to create an improved facility allowing access for a variety of vessels from float planes to ferries.
"PND was issued an NTP for design support during construction which was integral to the construction engineering team. As part of these efforts, they assisted in accessing the construction contractor’s value engineering proposal which led to financial and time savings on the project."
Concerns over shallow bedrock and natural hot springs presented an additional challenge, and PND worked with Western Marine Construction to reach a solution—using a fill pad in lieu of a pile-supported dock for a portion of the facility. This new effort saved the contractor and owner money and time.
