Mat-Su Borough to begin repair work on Talkeetna Revetment

In recent years, shifts in river channels have caused significant erosion near Downtown Talkeetna.  Now, that erosion is affecting the revetment at the end of Main Street.  The Mat-Su Borough will soon begin work to try to repair the revetment.

Those repairs are going to require about 500 cubic yards of large rocks, known as rip-rap.  Currently, the borough has 150 yards of rock staged nearby.  Mat-Su Borough Public Works Director Terry Dolan says the rest will need to be brought in.

“That’s going to cause us to have to haul in about 350 cubic yards of additional rip-rap.  That’s about thirty-five truckloads of rip-rap that will be proceeding through Talkeetna and to the revetment area, just off of Main Street.”

Those trucks could start arriving very soon, with repair work to begin in the next seven to ten days.  Dolan says the borough is still determining where to obtain the rip-rap.

“There’s a company that’s just north of Talkeetna on the rail line that provides rip-rap, there’s a State of Alaska pit outside of Talkeetna outside of Talkeetna, and there are other places where you can obtain it further south.”

The proximity of the source of riprap will have a significant impact on the cost.  Dolan says bringing it up from the Lower Valley would mean transportation costs would exceed the value of the stone, itself.

One issue the borough faces is getting the material and heavy equipment to the revetment.  There is a maintenance easement running along the structure as well as the right-of-way for A Street.  Getting to that right-of-way presents an additional challenge, according to Terry Dolan.

“The right-of-way intersection between A Street and Main Street doesn’t exist.  It’s been eroded away by high waters. So, in order for us to get on to the A Street right-of-way, we may need to extend Main Street thirty, forty feet.”

The other main option under consideration is using the right-of-way for First Street, which, like A Street, is not constructed.  Dolan says taking that route would involve clearing a number of trees, which he recognizes could cause concerns in the community.

The 500 yards of rip-rap will shore up the revetment for now.  In the long term, Terry Dolan says the borough is consulting with professional engineers to determine what may be necessary in the future.