Frozen ground sets the schedule for Cordova Sand Trail repairs

ATV riders on Cordova's only managed off-highway vehicle route must wait for the ground to freeze before contractors start on the first 1.70 miles of failing trail. The Chugach National Forest is contracting that repair, Sand Trail Phase II, and quotes are due at 4 p.m. Alaska time on Sept. 22, a deadline the agency extended from Sept. 8. Ground-disturbing construction and hauling may proceed only after five consecutive days below 30 degrees Fahrenheit, or as the contracting officer's representative approves.

Vegetation removal is barred May 1 to July 15 for migratory birds. In-stream work is barred July 1 to September 1 for fish. Construction is limited to weekdays, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The trail runs 12.20 miles. The contract calls for 335 cubic yards of Class III riprap on eroded riverbank slopes and 600 cubic yards of D-1 aggregate to harden the surface for ATV use. Optional add-ons, additional aggregate, rock barbs, and dozer work in the channel, lapse unless exercised before Nov. 1.

A 2021 Forest Service listing flagged aggregate, turnpike work that lifts tread above wet ground, and streambank repairs as outstanding. Agency summaries call Sand Trail the district's only managed OHV route, running 12 miles through Scott Glacier Valley, critical anadromous fish habitat that local riders and subsistence users also depend on. Anadromous fish run from the sea to spawn. It lies nine miles east of Cordova on the Copper River Highway, before the first Scott River bridge. Cordova has no road access.

The small-business set-aside, RFQ 1240BJ26Q0021, is firm-fixed-price. A 20% bid bond applies above $150,000, and 100% performance and payment bonds apply to awards greater than $150,000. Performance runs Sept. 24 through May 31, 2027, with frozen-ground rules governing the schedule. Questions go to Eric Oldenkamp at [email protected].