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  • August

    Command Sgt. Maj. Zachary Plummer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Pacific Ocean Division assists the street team of the City and Borough of Juneau to repair a temporary flood protection barrier along the Mendenhall River

    Temporary flood barriers prove effective during flood event in Juneau

    During the week of August 11, the Mendenhall Glacier released its yearly glacier lake outburst flood, also known as a jökulhlaup (Yah-cuh-laup). In preparation for the potential threat to infrastructure and public safety, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided temporary flood mitigation barriers to the City and Borough of Juneau last winter. While USACE continues to prepare a technical study that will help to define the parameters of an enduring flood risk mitigation solution, these barriers provided vital short-term protection to the community along the river this week by holding back the glacial water released from Suicide Basin and performing well during the peak of the floodwaters.
  • Senior leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Alaska District attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Barrow Coastal Erosion Project in the community of Utqiagvik on Aug. 11. The project will reduce the risk of storm damage to about five miles of coastline by construction of a rock revetment at the bluff area, building a protective berm and raising Stevenson Street.

    USACE breaks ground at coastal erosion project in Alaskan community of Utqiagvik

    Representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Alaska District participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Barrow Coastal Erosion Project in the community of Utqiagvik on Aug. 11. They joined representatives of the North Slope Borough and the contractor to celebrate the construction of the critical shoreline protection, which began in July after the first batch of armor rock arrived from Nome on the 28th.

  • April

    United States and Bangladesh officials celebrated the handover of the Khonjonighona Government Primary School and Multipurpose Disaster Shelter in eastern Bangladesh in October 2024. The school is constructed with the classrooms on the second and third floors to provide a safe area for the community during a flooding emergency.

    14-year multipurpose disaster shelter program reaches completion in Bangladesh

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District recently completed a robust construction effort aimed at reducing the threat of coastal storms to communities in eastern Bangladesh. Multipurpose Disaster Shelters, or MPDSs, are tailor-made for the volatile conditions of cyclone season. During periods of normal weather, these structures serve functions such as schools and clinics. When the annual storms bring severe flooding, the shelters are built to stand above the flooding and provide secure, elevated spaces for the community.

  • August

    The group observes the transition between the granite and basalt at the Pfaffensprung sediment bypass tunnel. Researchers at the Swiss research university used test sections to observe different materials in the same environment and compare their performance in a real-world setting. (Photo by Carly Lynch, USACE – Alaska District)

    USACE staff observe dam infrastructure in Switzerland in preparation for tunnel project in Alaska

    Staff from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District toured dam infrastructure in the heart of the rugged Swiss Alps as part of a temporary duty trip. After cataloguing their findings abroad, the team returned to Alaska with a renewed perspective for the improvement of the Lowell Creek Flood Diversion project set in similar mountains near Seward.

  • February

    A clamshell dredge hoists shoal from the bottom of Petersburg Borough’s harbor system in southeast Alaska.

    Infrastructure law helps to dredge Petersburg Harbor for first time in 42 years

    Located in Southeast Alaska between Juneau and Ketchikan, the Petersburg Navigation Improvements project restored the Petersburg Borough’s South Harbor to original design depths ranging from minus 9 to 19 feet and improved general navigation features to allow for safe passage of vessels. The first ever dredging operation within the basin since it was built in 1982 removed about 57,000 cubic yards of material.

  • January

    Witnessed by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Michael Connor, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District endorsed an agreement that advances construction of the Kenai Bluffs Bank Stabilization Project during a ceremony on Sept. 25 in the community.

    Alaska District to begin major infrastructure projects in 2024, emphasis on best small business practices

    The Alaska District is preparing for a productive 2024 construction season in the Last Frontier. The organization's robust workload includes major infrastructure construction efforts under the district's civil and military programs in every corner of the state.

  • November

    An aerial view of Dutch Harbor Naval Air Station on July 21, 1943, reveals a runway and other key features of the remote area’s abundant military construction.

    Capturing a Storied Past: Historical Photo Analysis Guides Restoration Work at World War II Site in Alaska

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District, in collaboration with the USACE Army Geospatial Center, is using historical photographic analysis to help determine the locations of structures, features and abandoned military munitions on Amaknak and Unalaska Islands.
  • The northern lights dance in the night sky above the Moose Creek Dam Safety Modification Project in October at the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project near North Pole, Alaska.

    Innovation leads to productive season for safety upgrade at Moose Creek Dam

    With the onset of winter, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District capped off a successful summer by doubling its progress from last year to build a cement barrier wall in the center of the dam. The safety improvement project is now about halfway complete as the team works to reinforce 4.7 miles of the 8-mile-long earthen structure.

  • August

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Alaska District and Range Support Center collaborated to remove unexploded ordnance from 337 acres of land in 2020 and 2021 at the Fort Glenn Formerly Used Defense Site on Umnak Island in Alaska. The environmental restoration project is the first in the state to be funded by the DoD Military Munitions Response Program. (U.S. Army Photo)

    Army engineers remove World War II-era explosives from national historic landmark on a remote Alaskan island

    Boom! Another explosion went off as a field crew for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District worked to safely clear and detonate munitions remaining from the World War II-era Fort Glenn, an abandoned military installation in the Aleutian Islands 850 miles from Anchorage.
  • A recently hatched common goldeneye duck rests in a researcher’s hand in North Pole, Alaska. Nest boxes installed at the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project are a key component of a scientific study of these birds conducted through a cooperative program between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Region. For 25 years, field researchers have monitored the ducks’ use of the boxes, creating a long-term dataset for scientists. (Courtesy photo provided by Riley Porter)

    Army engineers partner for 25 years with federal biologists to study duck nesting ecology in Alaska

    The whistling sound of beating wings moves through the forest as a common goldeneye duck lands in a nest box mounted to the side of a tree near the Moose Creek Dam in North Pole, Alaska. Focused on laying its eggs within the cozy confines of this manmade wooden structure, the bird is unaware of its vital role in a unique scientific study.