State plans to replace worn-out docking structures at Auke Bay ferry terminal

The structures ferries dock against at Juneau's Auke Bay terminal are so corroded that some of their pilings have holes in them, and the state wants to replace them.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday opened public comment on the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' plan, which also includes dredging part of the bay so ferries can keep using the terminal during the work. Comments are due Dec. 14.

The terminal opened in 1982 and has three ferry berths. The clusters of pilings at its East Berth, known as dolphins, have been repaired several times and now need to be replaced entirely, according to the Corps notice. Their timber padding "is also severely rotted and beginning to loosen."

The state would pull out 40 old pilings and put in six new dolphins. To keep ferries running while the East Berth is rebuilt, crews would dredge about 1.5 acres at the West Berth.

Construction could start as early as fall 2027, and the state says ferry schedules may change during the work. The plan has grown since a 2022 state notice, which described five dolphins, no dredging and construction as early as fall 2024.

The state's draft transportation plan sets aside nearly $26 million for construction in the 2027 fiscal year, about $20.8 million of it from a federal ferry grant, though the plan says that isn't a guarantee of funding.

The dredged sediment, about 11,000 cubic yards, would be barged about a mile away and released in open water. The state first proposed a spot near the terminal, but a Fish and Game biologist warned last year that it's high-value red king crab habitat, and the site was moved to an area the department recommended.

Dredging would happen from September to December, when larger red king crab move into deeper water. If testing finds the sediment contaminated, it would go to a permitted site on land instead. A federal permit also covers pile-driving noise that could reach humpback whales in nearby Fritz Cove.

The Corps can't issue its permit until the state Department of Environmental Conservation certifies or waives a water quality review.