Repairs for Talkeetna dike in design phase; Construction could begin next spring

Almost four years after the 2012 flood that damaged it, efforts the Talkeetna dike have taken another step forward.

According to an email sent by Mat-Su Borough Emergency Manager Casey Cook to the Talkeetna Community Council board of directors, the request for proposals to design repairs to the dike, located downstream of the railroad bridge over the Talkeetna River, has been approved.

The contract for the repair design was awarded to HDL Engineering Consultants. According to a letter sent by HDL to the community council, a preliminary survey was conducted late last month, and engineers plan to assess damage below the normal summer waterline.

The design is anticipated to be complete in November or December. After that, the design must be approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has agreed to fund repairs to the dike.

The repair of the Talkeetna dike has taken significantly longer than was anticipated. The Mat-Su Borough went through a successful appeal process to allow the dike to be considered for FEMA funds for the 2012 flood, since it was not initially listed on the borough’s flood management assets map. Since then, the request has gone through multiple layers of federal approval, and any clarification or change requested by FEMA required at least part of that process to start again.

In his letter, Casey Cook says he hopes repairs could be made this fall or winter, but the letter from HDL anticipates construction beginning next spring or later.