USACE officials tour Barrow Coastal Erosion Project in Utqiagvik

Hosted by Col. Jeffrey Palazzini, commander of the Alaska District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, officials from the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works and Office of Management and Budget visited Alaska to assess the progress of several major projects currently in design and construction during the week of July 24.

In attendance from OMB was Kelly Colyar, branch chief, and Lori Krauss, program analyst. Heather Theel of the ASA (CW)’s office and Jose Sanchez, regional business director for the Pacific Ocean Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also joined the project tour.

First, the group visited the Barrow Coastal Erosion Project in Utqiagvik. Leif Hammes, project manager, and Bruce Sexauer, chief of the district’s Civil Works Branch, presented the project and community to the senior executive service members.

The city experiences frequent and severe coastal storms, resulting in flooding and erosion that threatens public safety, infrastructure and subsistence areas.

The project will reduce the risk of storm damage to five miles of coastline and preserve cultural resources and artifacts. The project is funded by the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.

In addition, the visiting group toured the Moose Creek Dam Modification Project near North Pole. Matt Folk, resident engineer, and Dan Powell, project engineer, provided a tour of the project to the visiting party.

This project will reinforce the existing dam embankment to provide the greater Fairbanks region with protection during high-water events for many years to come by installing a mix-in-place concrete barrier wall to portions of the dam. The project is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.