An engineering consultant hired by the Haines Borough last week offered cost estimates on possible plans-of-action to overhaul the badly corroding Lutak Dock.
John Daley, a senior engineer with R&M Consultants, Inc. of Anchorage, held two public meetings explaining three options, each of which has a 50-year lifespan, which he called the industry standard.
A preferred option, based on engineering research and comments from the public and stakeholders, will be presented at a meeting here Jan. 19.
The first option, which Daley termed a combination of two previous ideas presented during the firm’s last visit to Haines last month, would encapsulate the dock structure with new sheet pile walls, keeping the existing dock size and functionality.
There are two variations of the plan: the one which reclaims about half an acre of uplands was estimated to cost $37.3 million. A second variation that does not reclaim the land would cost slightly less, at a price of $31.9 million.
“Those are reasonable numbers,” he said. “They’re the industry-standard price.”
Daley said the downside to the overall plan is that it carries a pile driving risk during construction and encapsulates existing sheets of poor-quality fill.
A second plan would replace the existing dock with an all-new facility that keeps the old dock’s existing footprint in size and function. However, that plan was the most expensive of the three and would cost $61 million to build.
Daley acknowledged that might be too steep a price for the borough, which has an annual operating budget of $12 million.
“It’s probably not a good thing for real feasibility,” Daley said. “But that’s what it costs.”
The final option, priced at $24.1 million, reinforces the existing dock involving eight berthing dolphins and transfer bridge.
Van Le, the planning and community outreach project lead for R&M Consultants, said suggestions made during the two community meetings in Haines involved building the third option with four dolphins instead of eight, bringing a substantial savings but limiting use of the dock to existing uses.
“Now we have our engineer working on that,” she said in an interview.
Under either version of the third plan, the dock area would sacrifice 1.7 acres of upland and limit cargo operations.
“Alternative 3 is the least costly but doesn’t give you flexibility down the road,” Daley told the audience. “You look at things in 50 years and don’t know (if it will still be serviceable). But it all comes down to money.”
Daley’s firm will deliver a final report by Jan. 25.
Daley also had some critical advice for the borough as officials deliberate what and how to fix the maritime loading depot where the area’s freight traffic comes and goes.
Don’t wait too long to repair or replace the deteriorating infrastructure.
“I think your dock is going to fail,” said Daley, whose firm was hired in October to provide some basic design concepts and figures on the project. “It won’t fail all at once and kill someone in a major catastrophe – unless there’s a major earthquake.”
Lutak Dock is a deep-water port originally constructed in 1953, and modifications, repairs and partial replacements to the structure have occurred incrementally since then.
“All of your freight and fuel come in over this dock,” Daley said. “It’s a pretty big deal. It’s your lifeline.”
One major issue is that 15 “cells” – the thick vertical steel-and-concrete cylinders that support the edge of the structure facing Lutak Inlet – do not meet U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ safety standards, according to a 2014 report. Eleven of the cells are owned by the borough and four are state-owned. One of the borough’s cells has already split open.
“What would a failure look like?” Daley told a dozen residents and three borough assembly members who gathered Thursday night at the Haines library. “It would be a corrosion failure that would spill fill into the bay. It would result in a large sinkhole.”
Daley gave a second presentation Friday at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Daley said he also ran some design and cost estimates on developing a facility to handle materials if the Palmer Mine is eventually developed.
He said a building covering seven to 10 acres would be necessary to process mine products shipped by covered truck and would require a ship loader and berth 200 feet wide and 800 feet long.
Haines facilities director Brad Ryan told the group that the borough had last week mailed off its application for a $5 million federal grant that could help defer costs for design, permitting, surveying and some materials of the overall Lutak Dock redesign.
He said officials will not know the outcome of their request until next summer.
The borough assembly voted in October to pay R&M Consultants $129,530 for its initial design work, which does not include engineered construction plans. The assembly followed the recommendations of a review committee comprised of citizens, users and borough officials.
R&M updates its progress on the project on a website at http://www.LutakDock.com, where diagrams of the options can be seen. Public comments also can be left there.
Daley said if the dock failed before the borough acted, all cargo coming into Haines would have to be shipped by truck which, studies show, was seven times higher than shipping by barge in cost-per-ton figures.
“That landing has reached the end of its life – it’s on borrowed time,” he said of the 63-year-old dock. “There is major or severe damage. It’s really time to think about replacing it. The community needs to weigh in to try and decide what you guys want to do.”