A new front has opened in the battle to overhaul Skagway’s coastal infrastructure.
The wave barrier that juts out from the ferry staging area and protects the entrance to the small boat harbor consists of pilings joined by welded panels, with a catwalk on top that is usually open to the public.
Last week some signs of weakness had appeared between the panels, but the structure failed before a solution could be implemented. Here is Skagway Port Director Cody Jennings:
“Yesterday, we discovered that a piling and several panels were missing from the wave barrier, we believe they are currently on the seabed. We were already aware of the issue about the seam between two of the panels and were working on a fix, but before we could implement it, something must have occurred and those panels fully disengaged from the wall.”
The municipality is working on getting the situation assessed as soon as possible.
“Right now we have a two person team on their way to Skagway to inspect the underwater portion of the wave barrier. We also are engaging some engineers to assess the stability of the structure, and so it’s just something that we are working on. Obviously with the holiday fast approaching, things are a little bit slower but we hope to have more information next week.”
The catwalk is currently closed to the public, a notice put out by the municipality claims access will be restored when safety can be assured.
We asked Jennings whether this latest woe would affect services in the small boat harbor:
“No, this shouldn’t impact anything into the boat harbor.”
