State seeks firm to finish designing 1.5-mile road to Akutan's boat harbor

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities wants a firm to finish designing a gravel road linking the Native Village of Akutan to its boat harbor. The department's request for proposals, issued Tuesday, sets a deadline of 4 pm Nov. 24.

The single-lane road would run about 1.5 miles from the community to the recently built harbor on Akutan Island, about 766 air miles southwest of Anchorage. It would be roughly 12 feet wide, with drainage and a new bridge over Whalebone Creek. The department estimates the design contract at $250,000 to $500,000, with work running from Jan. 1, 2027, through 2031.

The road design is already substantially complete, according to the request. The chosen consultant will review that earlier work, check whether it still holds up and fill gaps before producing sealed, bid-ready plans certified by Aug. 1, 2028. The state plans to advertise construction in May 2028 and build the road in fiscal year 2029.

The state selected the road through the 2023 DOT&PF Community Transportation Program. The approved state transportation plan says the road would improve safety and create job and economic opportunities through reliable harbor access, and that building it means blasting a path through the steep cliffs around Akutan Bay.

The draft 2027-2030 transportation plan schedules about $10.8 million in new obligations for the project, most of it for construction in fiscal year 2029, for a total forecast of about $11.4 million.

The Federal Highway Administration's Community Transportation Program funds the project. The City of Akutan provides the local match.