When pilings keeping wooden docks properly floating are no longer straight, it can become a problem.

Fortunately, the City and Borough of Juneau Docks & Harbors department was able to find the solution and fix that particular problem at Taku Harbor before a major issue occurred, according to a release Tuesday.

“The problem we had been noting is that the pilings weren’t straight anymore and were starting to come out of the ground,” Deputy Port Engineer Erich Schaal said in a phone interview with the Empire Tuesday. “We weren’t sure what was going on.”

The CBJ recently contracted with Juneau contractor, Trucano Construction, in fixing the problem. The construction company extracted, drained, reinstalled and capped each of the pilings. Previously, the pilings did not have caps which is mostly what caused the problem, Schaal said.

Schaal said what had happened to the pilings was not something Docks & Harbors sees often. Schaal said water made its way into the pilings. During the winter, the water, which could not be drained, froze and expanded. This expansion forced the pilings to lift out of the ground.

“Ice is powerful,” Schaal said. “It is pretty unique. It is an unusual situation.”

Schaal said the problem initially made the dock uneven and having pilings that were not straight also looked odd. However, if the increased stress on the pilings was not dealt with it would eventually lead to safety issues for people getting in or out of a boat due to an unbalanced and moving surface.

Docks & Harbors was able to work with Alaska Department of Fish & Game in securing funding, in the amount of $116,000, for the project through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act.

In addition to fixing the pilings coming out of the ground, Schaal said Trucano repaired several hinge connections, repaired a split piling and oversaw Global Diving’s installation of zinc anodes. The zinc anodes help protect the pilings from the corrosive salt water. All the work, Schaal said, was completed in nine days.

“Trucano Construction did a great job and showcased the talented professionals we have in town,” Schaal said. “It also did not impact the boating season. Docks & Harbors is pleased to continue its vision to improve harbor infrastructure throughout the borough with an emphasis on targeted maintenance.”

---

• Contact reporter Gregory Philson at gphilson@juneauempire.com or call at 523-2265. Follow him on Twitter at @GTPhilson.

---