Federal agency seeks bids to replace a Far North Bicentennial Park trail bridge

The Federal Highway Administration is seeking bids to replace the North Gasline Trail bridge over Campbell Creek in Anchorage's Far North Bicentennial Park and to add a boardwalk over nearby wetlands.

The city says the trail now crosses Class A wetlands and the creek without a bridge or boardwalk in places, damaging the ecosystem and breaking up the trail. The new bridge would be wider than the old one and strong enough for equipment and emergency vehicles, according to the Municipality of Anchorage.

The contract calls for the work to be finished by August 2027. Trail users should expect closures, and crews can't clear brush from May 1 to July 15, during bird nesting season.

The agency estimates the job at $700,000 to $2 million, paid for with a Federal Lands Access Program grant, the city says. The project grew out of the park's trail improvement plan. Bids are due Dec. 1, and an award depends on the money being available.

The new 80-foot steel bridge would sit on the North Fork of Campbell Creek, about three-quarters of a mile south of the Klutina Drive trail access. The boardwalk, with an option for a second, would be off the Tank Trail, about 1.2 and 1.4 miles in from Basher Drive.

The contractor must post closure maps at the Klutina, North Bivouac and Basher Drive trailheads and where the Bulldog and Tank trails meet.