Statewide construction roundup.

• Author: Slaten, Russ
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Building Alaska

As winter turns to spring and the ice begins to melt, building and road projects across Alaska resume. Some projects work through the winter, but some aren't possible without the cooperation of ideal weather and temperatures.

Northern and Western Alaska

The $12 million Harold Kaveolook School Gymnasium Addition in Kaktovik, about 120 miles east of Prudhoe Bay, began a year ago in March 2015. The 16,150-square-foot addition includes a new entry, gym, locker rooms, restrooms, concessions, reception area, storage, and a mechanical room on the main floor, along with a weight room, fan room, and suspended running track on the mezzanine. General contractor UIC Construction expects to complete the North Slope Borough project by the end of December, with twenty-five employees at peak construction. The gymnasium addition was designed by Burkhart Croft Architects.

The more than $943,000 Barrow Emergency Operations/Joint Training Center Renovation, Phase I, began in January. The 3,000-square-foot renovation project was designed and engineered by CH2M. Cornerstone General Contractors expect to complete the North Slope Borough project next month.

The $26.6 million Nome Airport Runway Safety Area and Apron Improvements project was originally awarded in October 2013. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) project includes constructing runway safety areas for runways 3-21 and 10-28 and reconstruction of the south terminal apron area and north side cargo apron. ADOT&PF expects Quality Asphalt Paving to complete the project in late 2016.

The $42 million Dalton Highway MP397-414 Reconstruction project at Deadhorse began April 2015. Brice, Inc. expects to complete the eighteen-mile ADOT&PF road project in September, with one hundred workers at peak construction.

The $10 million Dental Clinic and Administrative Offices project on the Kanakanak Hospital campus in Dillingham is about 55 percent complete, according project architect Livingston Slone. The two-story, 15,800-square-foot building is enclosed and heated for winter. General contractor Roger Hickel Contracting will resume work at full pace with the first spring barge. BESC provided civil engineering, PND provided structural engineering, and RBA Engineers provided mechanical and electrical engineering for the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation project.

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The Interior

Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. will build the $23 million Parks Highway Grade Separation between Montana Creek and Sunshine near Talkeetna Spur Road as part of the Alaska Highway Safety Improvement Program. The ADOT&PF project, designed by PND Engineers and with R&M Consultants as the independent quality firm, consists of two 0.75-mile long overpasses spanning the railroad. The project begins in February and is expected to be complete in October.

The $5 million to $15 million Peger Road Resurfacing and FMATS Pedestrian Improvements consist of 4 miles of road resurfacing and 8,600 feet of pathway in Fairbanks. The ADOT&PF project, designed by R&M Consultants and still without a general contractor at press time, is expected to begin construction in February and to be completed in October.

The $12.1 million Eielson Bowling Center at Eielson Air Force Base underwent construction March 2015. General contractor Bethel Federal Services expects to complete the...