State moves to finish designing a road to the Akutan harbor built without one in 2012

The state is looking for a firm to finish designing a 1.5-mile gravel road between the Aleutian village of Akutan and its boat harbor. The harbor was dug more than a decade ago with no road to it.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities issued the request for proposals Tuesday, with proposals due Nov. 24. The state plans to advertise construction in May 2028 and build the road in fiscal year 2029.

Akutan is on Akutan Island, about 766 air miles southwest of Anchorage. Construction on the harbor at the head of Akutan Bay wrapped up in 2012, Alaska Public Media reported. The project had received $29 million in federal stimulus money. The Army Corps of Engineers waived its usual requirement for supporting infrastructure, such as a road, citing the harbor's strategic importance.

The harbor was about two miles from the village and reachable only by boat, away from the grocery store, post office and fuel dock. It had 58 slips. Trident Seafoods, which runs a processing plant in Akutan, said the harbor could change how it handles the boats delivering fish there.

The Akutan Traditional Council's administrator said then that the first estimate for a road was $18.1 million. Every foot would have to be blasted out of the steep cliffs around the bay.

That's still the plan. The road would be a single lane, about 12 feet wide, with drainage and a new bridge over Whalebone Creek, and building it means blasting through the cliffs, according to the approved state transportation plan. The plan says the road would improve safety and create jobs and economic opportunities through reliable access to the harbor.

The state selected the road through its 2023 Community Transportation Program. The draft 2027-2030 transportation plan schedules about $10.8 million more for it, most of it for construction in fiscal 2029, for a total forecast of about $11.4 million. Federal Highway Administration money is funding the project, and the City of Akutan provides the local match.

The design is already substantially complete, according to the request. The firm the state hires would review that earlier work, check whether it still holds up and fill any gaps, then deliver sealed, bid-ready plans by Aug. 1, 2028. The state estimates the design contract at $250,000 to $500,000.