Piling repairs at Taku Harbor improve safety and lifespan of facility

A City and Borough of Juneau contractor recently completed much needed maintenance repairs at Taku Harbor, improving the safety and lifespan of the facility. Taku Harbor, located 22 miles south of Downtown Juneau, is managed by the Docks & Harbors Department.

Several of the pilings at the facility had been migrating out of the ground due to suspected ice jacking, which can occur when fresh water enters inside the piling, freezes during the winter, and causes the piling to lift out of the ground. Trucano Construction of Juneau was contracted to extract, drain, reinstall and cap each of the pilings. PND Engineers provided inspection services for the project. In addition, Trucano Construction repaired several hinge connections, repaired a split piling and oversaw Global Diving’s installation of zinc anodes, providing corrosion protection.

“Docks & Harbors is pleased to continue its vision to improve harbor infrastructure throughout the borough with an emphasis on targeted maintenance. Also, this summer’s installation of the zinc anodes at Taku Harbor and in Aurora Harbor will extend the service life at these facilities for several more years,” Port Director Carl Uchytil said.

Partial funding for the $116,000 project was from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game thorough the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act.

For more information contact Deputy Port Engineer Erich Schaal at 586-0397 or [email protected].