The Department of Transportation is finally able to get started on a major Wrangell road repaving project.
Perforated by potholes, the borough’s Evergreen Avenue will finally be resurfaced and repaired, with pedestrian improvements and other fixes. The major project has been on hold for half a decade, surviving rounds of budget cuts to capital funding elsewhere in the state along the way. Two local right of way issues which had lately been holding up the project were wrapped up in February, allowing the project to finally move along.
At last week’s meeting of the City and Borough Assembly, in the manager’s report it was announced bid invitations were noticed on March 13.
Bids for the project will be opened publicly in the Juneau Construction Contracts Office at 2 p.m.
The project would address 0.91 miles of road, from Evergreen Avenue from its start at the Alaska Marine Highway terminal up to 500 feet short of the airport. Under the project, the existing asphalt pavement will be rehabilitated, with concrete curb, gutter and barrier additions, embankment widening, drainage improvements and new retaining walls. A sidewalk connecting the ferry terminal with Petroglyph Beach is also planned.
As currently scheduled, substantial completion is expected by October 31, occurring in only one season.
Engineering estimates for the project on the bid schedule range from $2.5 million to $5 million for the main road improvements and sidewalk addition, with full project running to about $8.12 million. At a nine-percent project match, the city’s match for this paid to the state has been $733,000, paid for primarily from sales tax funds designated for road maintenance.
Held up as a potential boon to the community, city manager Lisa Von Bargen noted the bid winner will be encouraged to hire local contractors and employees at equitable rates. A 15-percent goal for utilizing registered apprentices in some job categories has also been set.
While jobs across most sectors in the region have taken a drubbing in recent years as
state spending has tightened, the construction industry has
seen about six percent in employment losses, between 2014 and 2016. At its mid session summit earlier this year, Southeast Conference noted this fall follows steep cuts to state-funded capital projects, which in Southeast has fallen from $385 million in 2013 to a mere $47 million for 2017.
In terms of income, of the different sectors tracked in SEC’s annual “By the Numbers” economic report, construction industry jobs rank third highest among average sector wages, behind mining and financial services.
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