Infrastructure
RSSInfrastructure in Alaska is the physical systems and public facilities that communities build and maintain. It includes transportation, utilities, and public works projects managed by state, municipal, and federal agencies. These efforts cover roads, water systems, and power grids.
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Frame from "Kenai: 11/12/2026 Council on Aging Meeting" · Photo source
Kenai Senior Center canopy repair runs about $220,000 against a $50,000 budget
Rotted joists pushed the Kenai Senior Center canopy repair to about $220,000, more than four times its original $50,000 budget, Public Works Director Lee Frey told the Council on Aging Commission on Thursday during its yearly review of capital projects.
The roof had leaked for years, and crews expected to replace only the plywood on top of the joists, Frey said. When they opened it, they found about 82 rotted joists. The city had the contractor tear off and replace the whole structure of the canopy.
City Manager Terry Eubank told the City Council on July 8 that project funds were "insufficient for the senior center canopy." The council added $110,000. After the rot was found, the council approved another $45,000 on Sept. 16, to replace the joists and metal. That brought the total approved to $205,000. Frey said his $220,000 figure includes design and rework. The money comes from the city's general fund.
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Stories on what’s next
UAS Water Main Rehabilitation Bidder Questions Deadline
University of Alaska seeks bids to reline UAS Juneau campus water main
University of Alaska wants bids to reline nearly half a mile of UAS water main in Juneau by sliding new plastic pipe inside the existing iron. Bids due Nov. 25.

Written Comments Due on Lutak Dock Rebuild Solicitation
Haines drops cheaper Lutak Dock option, leaving bidders only the full rebuild
Haines dropped a cheaper fix for its crumbling Lutak Dock, saying it wouldn't fit the $20 million federal grant. Bidders would price only a full rebuild.

Juneau Assembly - North Douglas Launch Ramp Transfer Ordinance Introduction
Juneau harbor board weighs a bigger North Douglas ramp and a higher charter fee
Juneau's harbor board on Thursday weighs a design contract for a bigger North Douglas ramp that could serve charter boats, and a charter fee hike.

Alaska Railroad Corporation Board of Directors Meeting
AIDEA ends private Port MacKenzie rail deal as railroad weighs building it itself
AIDEA is ending a private deal to finish the Port MacKenzie rail line. The railroad may build it with a $249M federal grant and ask for land two others want.

Anchorage Assembly Regular Meeting
Port tops Anchorage's draft 2027 list of state and federal requests
Anchorage's 2027 wish list for Juneau and D.C. starts where it always does: the port. Housing near JBER and Cook Inlet gas come close behind.

Latest
Week of Nov 9
Anchorage plans to use landfill gas to evaporate the liquid that seeps from its trash
Anchorage wants to burn gas from its rotting trash to evaporate the liquid that seeps out of it. The Assembly is asked to pay $98,010 for design advice.

Kodiak Assembly revisits a state funding list where most requests are for villages
Kodiak's Assembly took up its state funding list again. Most requests are for villages, including a Karluk water tank that stalled $894,993 short.

Kodiak asks state for $10 million to replace hospital's half-century-old boilers
Kodiak Island Borough asks the state for $10 million to replace aging hospital boilers and sterilizers before one fails. Frequent breakdowns already limit operating room use.

State plans to replace worn-out docking structures at Auke Bay ferry terminal
The state wants to replace rotting, corroded docking structures at Juneau's Auke Bay ferry terminal. Red king crab habitat already moved its dump site.

Cape Blossom Road near Kotzebue is closed while crews install a temporary bridge
Cape Blossom Road near Kotzebue is closed while Brice Construction installs a temporary bridge, with no reopening date given.

Mat-Su Borough finishes upgrading two Butte roads off Bodenburg Loop
Two Butte roads off Bodenburg Loop, Knik View Drive and Knik View Circle, are upgraded and paved, the borough says. The estimate for moving gas lines grew.

Fort Wainwright reopens Gaffney Gate with three inbound lanes and a new canopy
Fort Wainwright's Gaffney Gate is back open with three inbound lanes, a commercial lane and a new canopy over the guards. Give yourself extra time.

Army Corps seeks a team to build an estimated $1.8 billion JBER weapons complex
Army Corps is seeking a builder for a $1.8 billion weapons complex at JBER, done by 2032. The 16 new facilities must run before the old complex shuts down, with zero downtime.

More from Infrastructure
Forest Service wants a small business to rebuild Robinette Road near Hope by next fall
The Forest Service wants a small business to rebuild Robinette Road, a 1.5-mile road into the forest near Hope, with fresh gravel as an add-on, by next fall.

Whittier gets $4.1 million in federal money to design a DeLong Dock replacement
Whittier got $4.07 million in federal money to design a replacement for its 70 year old DeLong Dock.

Wasilla approves $6 million wastewater loan, but city says project is $4.6 million short
Wasilla took a $6 million state loan for its sewage plant upgrade Monday. It's still $4.6 million short, and the price keeps climbing, staff say.

Rockslide work alone won't reopen Skagway's Railroad Dock to trains or pedestrians
Skagway's rockslide fix alone won't bring trains or foot traffic back to the Railroad Dock, engineers say. Helicopters instead of a road would cost far more.

Northwest Arctic Borough seeks designs for heated public safety storage in five villages
The Northwest Arctic Borough wants designs for heated buildings to keep fire, search and rescue and VPSO gear out of the cold in five villages.

Mat-Su Borough would spend $850,000 in fire reserves on Big Lake station water supply
Big Lake's fire station refills fire trucks too slowly, so the Mat-Su Borough wants to spend $850,000 upgrading the station's water supply system.

Week of Nov 2
Homer staff asks what matters most as float project estimate tops $22 million
Replacing Homer Harbor's 1964 floats is now estimated at over $22M, up from $17M. Staff wants the port commission to say what matters most if it's trimmed.

Kodiak weighs borrowing up to $10 million more to replace its main sewage pump station
Kodiak's sewage station drew one bid, at twice the estimate; one digging item was priced near the whole estimate. The council votes Thursday on borrowing more.

Coming up
Haines Borough Ports and Harbors Advisory Committee Meeting
Assembly Chambers, 315 Haines Highway, Haines, AK, and Zoom (Meeting ID 833 2336 7111, passcode 744008)
Meeting
Alaska Energy Authority Tax-Exempt Bonds Public Hearing
Hearing
Valdez City Council Work Session: High School Renovation Project
Meeting
Haines Borough Assembly Regular Meeting
Meeting
Loring Service Area Board Meeting
Meeting
About Infrastructure
Infrastructure in Alaska takes in the physical systems that communities build and maintain, including roads and bridges, water and sewer lines, power grids, ports, harbors, docks and airports. State, municipal and federal agencies manage this work alongside utilities and tribal organizations.
Much of it is paid for with federal grants, state money and local loans, from airport grants to rail and grid awards. Recurring questions involve aging structures such as failing weirs, cracked bridges and worn water pipes, seismic retrofits, and the cost of replacing village fuel tanks and buildings in remote places where freight is expensive.
Infrastructure connects closely to energy, utility rates and economic development. Decisions about a single dock, pipe or road often fall to a city council or borough assembly, which weighs grants, loans and design options before work begins.
More from Infrastructure
Cordova closes 4th and Browning for road repairs as it works on a water leak on 4th
Cordova closed the corner of 4th Street and Browning Avenue Thursday for road repairs, the same day the city planned a brief water shutoff to fix a leak on 4th.

North Slope co-op plans to lay Anaktuvuk Pass fiber across the snow in 2028
The North Slope's phone co-op asked the state for 3 more miles for its Anaktuvuk Pass fiber line. Crews would unspool the cable across the snow in early 2028.

Army Corps seeks contractor to keep Anchorage's harbor dredged through 2029
The Army Corps wants a contractor to dredge Anchorage's harbor through 2029, scooping out the Cook Inlet silt that keeps settling where ships need to dock.

Sinkhole found under Ketchikan harbor shop as council adds $151,000 for storm repairs
Ketchikan crews tearing down a storm-damaged harbor shop found a sinkhole beneath it. The City Council added $151,000 to fix the failed drain behind it.

Mat-Su picks Front Street site for Talkeetna water tank as some residents object
Mat-Su picked a wooded Front Street lot for Talkeetna's new water tank. Some neighbors want it at the old plant; the borough would rather own its land.

Mat-Su finishes Fern Street rebuild with new Cottonwood Creek fish culvert
Mat-Su finished part of its Fern Street rebuild, swapping culverts that blocked salmon from most of Cottonwood Creek. Walkers got a path; fish got a door.

Federal contracting in Alaska: Mendenhall Glacier visitor center plan gets more design money in federal contracts
This week's federal work for Alaska firms: more design money for Mendenhall Glacier's visitor center plan, wildfire plane upkeep and a lot of office paper.

Wasilla council takes up $6 million state loan to expand its wastewater plant
Wasilla's wastewater plant treats septage in one digester from about 1989, and staff say the city has outgrown it. The council weighs a $6 million loan Monday.

State's draft plan would replace, not repair, Kodiak's Sargent Creek Bridge
Kodiak's cracked Sargent Creek Bridge was in line for a temporary fix. The state's draft road plan now calls for a $6.8 million replacement in 2029.

Juneau pushes state to keep a second Douglas Island bridge in its road plan
Juneau told the state a second bridge to Douglas Island is "a must" for its next road plan. The state's draft has no money for it. DOT says it's still active.

Mountain Village's boil water notice nears a year as the state seeks engineers for upgrades
Mountain Village has been under a boil water notice for nearly a year because of low pressure. The state now wants engineers to design new pumps and mains.

State moves to finish designing a road to the Akutan harbor built without one in 2012
Akutan's boat harbor was dug in 2012 with no road to the village. The state now wants a firm to finish designing one, with construction going to bid in 2028.

Ketchikan council to vote on $1.9 million to start designing a new water line
Ketchikan's water shares 1926 tunnels with its hydro plant, so fixing them means shutting off the tap. The council votes Thursday on $1.9M toward a bypass.

Gasline Trail bridge work would bring closures, leash rules to Far North Bicentennial
The feds want to replace the Gasline Trail bridge over Campbell Creek. Plans call for closures near the Tank Trail and leashed dogs in the off-leash zone.

Petersburg Assembly awards $13.5 million Scow Bay haul-out contract to lone bidder
Petersburg Assembly awarded Rock-n-Road Construction up to $13.5 million to build the Scow Bay boat haul-out. Work starts Dec. 7, funded mainly by an $8.9 million federal grant.

Juneau staff seek $3.5 million toward new Glacier Highway water main before road rebuild
Juneau utility staff want $3.5 million to start replacing an old water main under Glacier Highway, so it's in the ground before the state rebuilds the road.

Juneau staff seek approval to remove closed Calhoun Avenue pedestrian bridge
Juneau staff asked a committee to approve removing the closed Calhoun Avenue bridge for $150,000. The 1977 structure is unsafe and no replacement is planned.

State will drill test holes on Glacier Highway in Juneau for planned lighting
The state will drill 20-foot holes in Glacier Highway's shoulder Nov. 9-20 to test the ground for planned lighting, which has slipped to a 2027 bid date.

Kawerak says new buildings in five Bering Strait villages are nearly complete
Kawerak says new multipurpose buildings in Teller, Elim, Shaktoolik, Gambell and Shishmaref are nearly done, paid for with $12 million in COVID relief money.

State moves to add land to pipeline lease for rock piles to guard against the Sag River
The state proposed adding 26 acres along the Sagavanirktok River to the pipeline's lease so Alyeska can place rock piles up to a half-mile long by the line.

Week of Oct 26
Assembly weighs using $400,000 in Girdwood reserves for Ruane Road culvert
The Anchorage Assembly votes Wednesday on using $400,000 in Girdwood reserves to match a federal grant. This money funds a $2 million project to replace aging culverts with a fish-friendly design.

Kansas Guard engineers raise Cordova staging pad 18 feet for a future deep-sea port
Kansas Guard engineers raised a work pad 18 feet and cut trails in Cordova this year for a planned deep-sea port, working with the Native Village of Eyak.

Kodiak weighs two plans to rebuild Trident Basin seaplane base around a new dock
A Kodiak floatplane dock shows signs of sinking. The airport board reviews two plans Wednesday to rebuild the Trident Basin seaplane base around a new one.

Anchorage road plan keeps contested Seward Highway and downtown rebuilds
Anchorage's draft road plan keeps a $1.6 billion Seward Highway rebuild and a lane-cutting 5th and 6th redo, counting on federal money above the usual share.
