Test Pile Program Construction Update: May 9, 2016

Starting early this week, the Derrick Barge (DB) General will move north and stage in a new location near the Port of Anchorage's (POA) Terminal 3. The POA plans on installing the Test Pile Program's third pile starting Thursday morning, May 12, 2016.

Installation will begin with the vibratory hammer, followed by the hydraulic impact hammer. The vibratory phase is expected to take approximately 30 minutes. After an equipment change, the pile will be driven into the harder subsoils by the impact hammer. Depending on soil conditions, the impact hammer phase may take 1 to 2 hours. The fourth pile, scheduled for installation on Saturday, May 14, will follow the same process. Work on both days should be complete by late afternoon, pending marine mammal, tidal, technical, or safety issues.

In-air noise monitors in place during the first (hydraulic hammer) test pile installation on May 2, 2016 indicate promising results. Early reports suggest that noise levels at Brown's Park were in the mid-50s decibel range and in the high-60s range at Nightingale Park, both below the Municipality of Anchorage's noise permit levels. As a comparison, noise monitors noted that small airplanes flying toward Merrill Field clocked in at the low-80s decibel range.

The POA plans to initiate ground vibration monitoring in concurrence with in-air noise monitoring. Thank you to the Government Hill residents who brought this issue to our attention! The POA will use this new information to better assess this potential issue moving forward.

A full report on the POA's noise and ground vibration monitoring efforts will be shared with the Government Hill Community Council at their September 2016 meeting.

Construction concerns? Let us know at 907-379-9979.