Design-Level Inspection and Assessment at US Navy Air Station in Alaska

AME was tasked by the US Navy with providing engineering services to perform a design-level inspection and assessment for the waterfront facilities at an Air Station in Alaska. An above and below water design level inspection using a ROV, hydrographic survey, and topographic survey of the facilities was performed by a team of engineers from AME and survey technicians from AUS and Brice Environmental.

The intent of the inspection was to gather information to complete an assessment of the facilities’ general structural condition and provide recommendations for short-term repairs to stabilize the Fuel Pier from damage incurred as a result of a large storm. The work also included the development of two rehabilitation alternatives to the 15% level design with and without reconstruction of the breakwater, and development of a 15% level design for the stabilization of the shoreline. In addition, a SWAN (Simulating Waves Nearshore) model was developed for the project site. SWAN is a third-generation 2-dimensional, transient near-shore spectral wave model. The wave model was applied to predict the wave conditions at the pier with and without the Breakwater. The model was run for a 100-year wave event, with waves approaching from three alternative angles and was run for a multiple-day period for each storm event. The model was used to assess the effects of Breakwater construction during the design development phase of this project.

Cost estimates were prepared for each alternative. Additional work included a hydrographic survey, topographic survey, and development of a wave model for design development.