The money will go to PND Engineers to complete the work it started on floating docks to accommodate both the ferry and another vessel.
“I’m real happy with both the firm and the price that we’ve negotiated,” port director Marc Van Dongen said.
 Schematic drawing of the MV Susitna. |
“We lost two years negotiating with (Anchorage) Mayor (Mark) Begich,” he said.
Begich, now a U.S. senator, had opposed landing the ferry in Anchorage at the Mat-Su Borough’s preferred site at the end of Ship Creek.
“If we get the Port MacKenzie landing designed, all we’re waiting for is a new mayor,” Van Dongen said.
He said in two months’ time, once Anchorage has selected Begich’s replacement, the borough will sit down as soon as possible with the new mayor. One of the borough’s priorities will be to see if it can’t shorten the trestle arm it will need to build out to the dock the borough wants in Anchorage.
He said if the dock is shortened it as much as the bourough would like, it could save about $7 million on the project.
As of now, on the Anchorage side, Van Dongen said the landing will cost about $22 million plus $2.5 million for contingencies. On the Point MacKenzie side, the cost will be $12.1 million with $2 million for contingencies. The borough is looking at the possibility of getting at least some of that money from the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority, the body set up to look at a bridge across the Arm. The body has unspent funds and the bridge project appears stalled.
Van Dongen said he hopes the Point MacKenzie landing will be done in time for the ferry to be delivered in spring of 2010. The ferry will then dock at Point MacKenzie until the Anchorage landing can be completed. By the end of October 2010, Van Dongen said the borough hopes to be making regular runs bringing commuters across the Arm.
Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.
Comments
8 comment(s)Kirk wrote on Jan 13, 2009 10:10 AM:
Has anyone ever been outside. There are bridges everywhere over long and toughter places. Not building the bridge is short sighted and a pipe dream of environmentalist and short sighted people living in the past. "
Anchorage Mayor wrote on Jan 12, 2009 10:59 AM:
just curious wrote on Jan 12, 2009 9:29 AM:
wheres 40 Million to build it wrote on Jan 11, 2009 11:30 PM:
Another Boston Tea Party in the making. "
boo wrote on Jan 11, 2009 9:46 PM:
Building bridges wrote on Jan 11, 2009 3:20 PM:
Boo wrote on Jan 11, 2009 10:00 AM:
Rusty wrote on Jan 11, 2009 9:31 AM: