The contract for Beach Road excavation will go to Southeast Roadbuilders, the only company to bid on the project by Tuesday at 3 p.m., the Request for Proposals’ response deadline.
“Their bid was around $170,000,” Haines Borough public facilities director Ed Coffland said. He said the hope is that the cost will be reimbursed by FEMA and the state.
Before excavation can begin, the Haines Borough Assembly must approve the award. The next regular assembly meeting is scheduled for July 13.
“They’re talking about having a special assembly meeting just for the purpose of getting the contract awarded,” Coffland said. If the special meeting takes place, debris removal would likely begin the first full week of July, taking place over the course of seven to 10 days.
Landslide Technologies, which is in the process of conducting a stability assessment of the area near the Dec. 2 Beach Road landslide, will be onsite, monitoring the work, Coffland said. The excavated material will be hauled to Community Waste Solutions and used as part of the cap for the landfill.
Beach Road residents have been displaced since Dec. 2 when a landslide took out the road and several homes, and killed two people. Excavating down to the original road surface is a necessary step in restoring power to the neighborhood. Lack of power is one of the last barriers keeping many residents from returning home.
Once road excavation is complete, Alaska Power & Telephone (AP&T) estimates it will take a day or two to reconnect power. The company will then begin restoring electricity to individual houses, prioritizing occupied residences.