Agreement signed for the Unalaska Channel project

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District and City of Unalaska last Friday held a signing ceremony for an agreement that advances the construction of the Unalaska Channel dredging project.

The document was signed by Col. Jeffrey Palazzini, district commander, and Bil Homka, city manager of Unalaska, on March 29 to provide a 600-by-600-foot dredged channel with a depth of minus 58 feet in Dutch Harbor.

“This will be a vital upgrade to an important port facility that serves our nation,” Palazzini said. “We look forward to this collaborative effort with the City of Unalaska to improve safety for mariners and strengthen the supply chain of the North Pacific and Bering Sea.”

Currently, a bar shallower than the surrounding seabed located at the entrance to Iliuliuk Bay limits access to Dutch Harbor. The current depth prevents deeper draft vessels from safely passing over the bar and mariners must take precautionary measures to safely traverse the area.

This project will require dredging an estimated 172,000 cubic yards of material. The total project was allocated $29.1 million during the federal government’s fiscal year in 2023. The federal government will provide 75 percent of the cost share for construction and the non-federal sponsor responsible for the remaining 25 percent.

Dredging work is anticipated to begin in July 2024 and completed in December 2024.