Southeast Alaska Mid-Region Access Port and Ferry Terminal Technical Memorandum
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S A M-R A P Ferr T T M Prepared for Fr Highw An Through R Pecci Associates, I. 825 Custer Avenue Helena, Montana 59604 (406)447-5000 www.rpa-hln.com Prepared by T Gos Associates, I. 1201 Western Avenue, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98101 www.glosten.com Pametri, I. 700 NE Multnomah, Suite 1000 Portland, OR 97232-4110 T. 503.233.2400 F, 503.233.4825 www.parametrix.com CITATION The Glosten Associates, Inc., Parametrix, Inc. 2011. Southeast Alaska Mid-Region Access Port and Ferry Terminal Technical Memorandum. Prepared by The Glosten Associates, Inc., Seattle, Washington, Parametrix, Inc., Portland, Oregon. April 2011. Port and Ferry Terminal Technical Memorandum TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... ES-1 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1-1 1.1 Purpose of the Mid-Region Access Study ......................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Southeast Alaska Mid-Region Access Study Corridors ..................................................... 1-3 1.2.1 Bradfield Canal Corridor ....................................................................................... 1-3 1.2.2 Stikine River Corridor ........................................................................................... 1-5 1.2.3 Aaron Creek Corridor............................................................................................ 1-5 1.3 Characteristics of an Ideal Ferry Terminal ........................................................................ 1-6 1.3.1 Conventional Ferry Terminal................................................................................. 1-6 1.3.1.1 Shore Elevation and Bathymetry Characteristics................................................. 1-6 1.3.1.2 Wrangell Tides .................................................................................................. 1-7 1.3.1.3 Uplands ............................................................................................................. 1-8 1.3.2 ACV Ferry Terminal ............................................................................................. 1-8 1.3.2.1 ACV Landing Pads ............................................................................................ 1-8 1.3.2.2 Approaches to ACV Landing Pads ................................................................... 1-10 1.3.2.3 Road Access to ACV Landing Pads.................................................................. 1-10 1.3.2.4 ACV Hanger and Maintenance Facility ............................................................ 1-10 2 POTENTIAL CONVENTIONAL FERRY TERMINAL SITES ........................................ 2-1 2.1 Potential Mainland Conventional Ferry Terminal Sites ..................................................... 2-1 2.1.1 Crittenden Creek ................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.2 Berg Bay ............................................................................................................... 2-4 2.1.3 Kapho ................................................................................................................... 2-9 2.2 Potential Mitkof Island Conventional Ferry Terminal Site .............................................. 2-12 2.3 Potential Wrangell Island Conventional Ferry Terminal Sites ......................................... 2-16 2.3.1 Spur Road ........................................................................................................... 2-16 2.3.2 AMHS Terminal at Wrangell .............................................................................. 2-19 2.3.3 Wrangell Harbor at Peninsula Street .................................................................... 2-20 2.3.4 Log Transfer Station on Wrangell Island (near The Narrows) .............................. 2-24 2.3.5 Fools Inlet (East Side) ......................................................................................... 2-26 3 POTENTIAL ACV FERRY TERMINAL SITES ............................................................... 3-1 3.1 Potential Mainland ACV Ferry Terminal Sites ................................................................. 3-1 3.1.1 Iskut River (south) ................................................................................................ 3-2 3.1.2 Iskut River (north) ................................................................................................. 3-6 3.1.3 Stikine River opposite Great Glacier...................................................................... 3-9 3.2 Potential Mitkof Island ACV Ferry Terminal Sites ......................................................... 3-12 3.2.1 Blind Slough (adjacent to AMHS terminal) ......................................................... 3-12 3.2.2 Blind Slough – Olsen’s Landing .......................................................................... 3-16 3.2.3 Dry Strait (protected mud bay) ............................................................................ 3-19 3.2.4 Dry Strait (sandy beach) ...................................................................................... 3-20 Southeast Alaska Mid-Region Access iii April 2011 Port and Ferry Terminal Technical Memorandum 3.3 Potential Wrangell Island ACV Ferry Terminal Sites ........................................................ 3-22 4 POTENTIAL FERRY ROUTES ............................................................................................. 4-1 4.1 Bradfield Canal Ferry Route ................................................................................................. 4-2 4.2 Stikine River Corridor Ferry Routes ..................................................................................... 4-3 4.2.1 Crittenden Creek Conventional Ferry Routes ........................................................... 4-3 4.2.2 Stikine River ACV Ferry Routes ............................................................................... 4-4 4.3 Aaron Creek Corridor Ferry Route ....................................................................................... 4-6 5 FERRY CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................................................... 5-1 5.1 Conventional Ferry ............................................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 ACV Ferry ............................................................................................................................ 5-5 5.2.1 British Hoverwork’s BHT-130 .................................................................................. 5-7 5.2.2 Designs under Development by the now Bankrupt Atlas ACV .............................. 5-11 6 POTENTIAL FOR COMMERCIAL PORTS ........................................................................ 6-1 6.1 Characteristics of a Commercial Port ................................................................................... 6-1 6.1.1 Commercial Vessel Characteristics ........................................................................... 6-1 6.1.1.1 Handysize ............................................................................................................... 6-2 6.1.1.2 Handymax .............................................................................................................. 6-3 6.1.1.3 Panamax ................................................................................................................. 6-3 6.2 Bradfield Canal Potential for Commercial Port .................................................................... 6-3 6.3 Eastern Passage ..................................................................................................................... 6-5 6.4 Blake Channel ....................................................................................................................... 6-6 7 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 7-1 List of Tables Table ES-1. Site Summary Table for Conventional Service ................................................... ES-2 Table ES-2. Site Summary Table for ACV Service ................................................................ ES-3 Table 1-1. Tidal variations at Wrangell ................................................................................... 1-7 Table 2-1. Crittenden Creek conventional ferry terminal site characteristics ......................... 2-2 Table 2-2. Berg Bay conventional ferry terminal site characteristics ..................................... 2-5 Table 2-3. Kapho conventional ferry terminal site characteristics .......................................... 2-9 Table 2-4. Blind Slough conventional ferry terminal site characteristics ............................. 2-13 Table 2-5. Spur Road conventional ferry terminal site characteristics .................................. 2-17 Table 2-6. AMHS Wrangell conventional ferry terminal site characteristics ....................... 2-20 Table 2-7. Wrangell Harbor conventional ferry terminal site characteristics........................ 2-22 Table 2-8. Log Transfer Station conventional ferry terminal site characteristics ................. 2-26 Table 2-9. Fools Inlet conventional ferry terminal site characteristics ................................. 2-28 Table 3-1. Iskut River south ACV ferry terminal