TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE-FOREST SERVICE
News Release
Contact: Julie Speegle
Email: jspeegle@xxxxxxxxx
Phone: 907-789-6246
Date: May 26, 2010
Local contractor wins bid for Mendenhall trail project
Juneau, AK— The U.S. Forest Service has awarded a $484,850 contract to a Juneau business for a major trail improvement project at and around the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. Admiralty Construction will begin work on the Trail of Time project this fall after the last cruise ship departs from Juneau.
“This project means winter work for Admiralty Construction’s 14 employees, including myself,” said owner Andrew Campbell. “It’s hard in our line of work to find projects to do when the asphalt plant shuts down for the season, so this is a good project for us to get.”
The project is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and will help boost a local business, as well as improve access for residents and visitors to one of the state’s top tourist attractions. The contract includes replacing a Steep Creek bridge, building an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant ramp behind the visitor center for access to the Trail of Time, construction of a new observation platform, and paving of two sections of trail and an overlook. It should be completed by May 2011.
“Admiralty Construction is a local company that has worked for us previously and has done fine work,” said Juneau District Ranger Pete Griffin. “We’re really pleased that Andrew won the bid.”
The Mendenhall Glacier is the third most visited feature in the State of Alaska. Annual visitation has increased from 25,000 in the early 1960s, when the visitor center was first built, to nearly 500,000 in the past three years. An aging population has made accessible trail and interpretive facilities more important than ever. The enhanced trail system will increase the capacity for visitors to get into and learn about the Tongass National Forest around the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, including the glacial and mining history of the area.
For more information, contact Project Leader Ed Grossman at 907-789-6237.
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