The Haines Borough Assembly approved a short-term access plan for Beach Road aimed at balancing residents’ desire to return home with the desire to secure FEMA funding for completion of a geotechnical study.
Up until last week, it had appeared that the borough would need to choose between expediting the process of restoring power and permanent road access to homes by excavating down to the original road, or allowing the state-funded geotechnical stability assessment of the area to be completed. Waiting for the stability assessment would mean residents likely wouldn’t have electricity until at least summer 2022.
“From the residents’ perspective, our big concern was… we would like road, power and the study… We didn’t like the option of either-or, so (the new plan) works great for us,” said neighborhood resident and Beach Road task force member Todd Winkel.
This winter, the state contracted with a geotechnical consulting firm Landslide Technologies to study the stability of the Beach Road neighborhood to inform decisions about short-term and long-term access. Houses in the neighborhood have been without road access and power since Dec. 2 when a landslide tore through the neighborhood, destroying several houses and killing two people.
The new plan approved by the assembly will shorten the timeline for restoring power to roughly six weeks. During this time, engineering firm proHNS will come up with two debris-removal plans for the borough—an option involving side casting, in which material is placed to the side of the excavation site, and one in which the material is hauled out. Side casting has the advantage of being cheaper.
“What we still don’t know is, can the material be side cast or does it have to be hauled away?” Mayor Douglas Olerud said. “What I would like to see, since we’re working on two tracks at the same time, is we have (proHNS) come up with a (proposal) for side casting the material and also (one) for removing the debris…that way, as we’re going forward, if Landslide Technologies gives us the okay that it is stable to side cast… we have that option.”
Borough officials said they believe excavating down to the original road surface will allow fire and EMS vehicles to reach the far side of the road, an AP&T requirement before the company will send employees in to restore power.
The current temporary access road, constructed this winter, is in rough shape after the spring thaw. Even owners of high-clearance pickup trucks are hesitant to drive them, according to Winkel.
Olerud said he expects the borough is at least six weeks out from restoring power and road access. In the meantime the borough, with assistance from local construction experts, will attempt to smooth the existing road surface to improve access for Beach Road residents.
FEMA funding for the study is contingent upon road repairs and power restoration being “temporary” measures, according to state officials. At past meetings, Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Emergency Program manager Sam Walton warned that restoring full access to the neighborhood before the study is completed would make it difficult to successfully convince FEMA of its necessity.
The first round of the stability study cost $345,527 and the second round is likely to cost a similar amount, according to state geotechnical engineer Travis Eckhoff, who oversaw the winter project. Right now, the cost is being covered by the state, which will receive a 75% reimbursement from FEMA.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the assembly also approved new language for a sign posted at the entrance to the neighborhood that reads, “Caution. Landslide area. One-lane road. Motorized access open for Beach Road and essential service providers only.”
The sign is a response to residents’ concerns about property security while the power is down, as well as a desire to protect the fragile access road.
State officials added that for public safety, it makes sense to limit public access.
“I don’t think that’s anything you guys want to encourage, strictly from a safety standpoint,” Walton said.
Currently, the second round of the geotechnical stability study is scheduled to begin in June.