The City of Kenai is excited to announce that the US Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a contract for the Kenai Bluff Bank Stabilization Project on February 7, 2024.
The Corps received four bids, and a $19,321,000 contract was awarded to Seattle-based Western Marine Construction Inc. to provide a protective rock berm along the north bank of the Kenai River. Work will be performed in Kenai, Alaska, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 10, 2026.
According to Kenai City Council Member Alex Douthit, “That came in at less than half of what we originally thought the project was gonna cost. So that’s going to save the city millions of dollars. So that’s a huge one.”
Reaching this point is a major milestone in a project that represents decades of work and commitment by Kenai residents, the Kenai Mayor and City Council members and former mayors and City Council members, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan and former Alaska Congressional Delegations, Governor Mike Dunleavy and former governors of Alaska, current and former Kenai Peninsula legislators, and current and former City Managers and City staff.
The project was allocated funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation of 2022, and the City received additional funding from the State of Alaska to reach sufficient match funding to support the project.
Discussion of erosion of the bluff at the mouth of the Kenai River can be found in City Council Meeting Minutes dating back to 1963, and a project to stabilize the Kenai bluff has been recognized as the City’s number one capital priority for over 30 years. The current project will construct a protective rock berm along the north bank of the Kenai River, protecting existing structures, infrastructure, and cultural resources. Construction of this berm will create a condition that allows the bluff to stabilize over time.
Information about this award may be viewed at: https://www.defense.gov/News/