Recent storm damage to the Homer Spit Road has caused significant erosion conditions and necessitated a resolution by the Homer City Council asking the state to implement emergency repairs.

The council unanimously passed Resolution 24-114 at their last regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 28, “urgently calling” for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to implement emergency repairs, as well as the “cooperative implementation” of a long-term erosion mitigation and maintenance plan to stabilize erosion conditions on the Spit.

Erosion mitigation on the Homer Spit has been a problem that the city has grappled with for many years — however, Resolution 24-114 notes that the Spit is now experiencing “accelerated” erosion due to changing storm patterns that have disrupted historical sediment movement patterns along the Spit, resulting in “severe coastal degradation.”

The resolution, and a presentation given during the meeting by AKDOT Central Region Director Sean Holland, came about following a storm on Oct. 16, which according to the resolution brought southwest winds of approximately 25 mph and a 22-foot high tide that caused “significant damage to the road bed in the unprotected section of the road, brought erosion to within two feet of the edge of the pavement and created an immediate public safety concern.”

“Any additional moderate wind and high tide events now threaten to compromise the outbound lane of the Spit Road, risking partial or complete closure of this vital transportation closure,” the resolution states.

The erosion occurred on the west side of the Homer Spit, damaging the section of the road unprotected by the armor rock that was previously installed. According to City Manager Melissa Jacobsen’s report that was provided for last Monday’s meeting, Homer Port Director Bryan Hawkins reported the issue to AKDOT Commissioner Ryan Anderson, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rep. Sarah Vance and Sen. Gary Stevens.

AKDOT and USACE are the two parties responsible for the funding, approval and implementation of state road maintenance, erosion mitigation measures and a long-term maintenance plan to stabilize erosion conditions on the Spit, the resolution states.

Hawkins emphasized, both according to Jacobsen’s report and in an interview with Homer News on Monday, Nov. 4, that the city may be required to close one lane of Homer Spit Road before the end of the winter storm season due to the extent of the erosion if the situation continues to only be monitored passively.

“We’re about one more storm event away from closing a lane,” Hawkins said on Monday.

During his presentation to the council, Holland said that at the request of the city, AKDOT project engineer Jason Baxley, who is also the project manager for the Homer Airport Improvement project, visited the Spit and assessed the erosion damage soon after the Oct. 16 storm.

“What we determined is that there’s certainly an urgent need there,” Holland said. “But it’s not immediate, and that’s better for us because it gives us an opportunity to have a more organized and engineered approach to our repair.”

He told the council that AKDOT is “currently in the process” of procuring a contractor that will “construct spot repairs in the worst spots” in order to reduce the risk of further winter storms tearing away more of the road and making it impassable.

Holland said that they will “extend the design” for the previously installed armor rock.

“I would say that’s not the ultimate fix,” he said. “A larger project is probably warranted.”

Mayor Rachel Lord, in an interview on Monday, emphasized the importance of full access being maintained to the Homer Spit.

“The city is in a unique position because it is a state highway, and it’s critically important for state assets,” she said. “We have the marine highway and the Coast Guard at the end of the Spit. We have a significant amount of economic resources and private businesses at the end of the Spit. It’s critically important that the road is preserved and protected.”

In Resolution 24-114, the City of Homer “urgently calls upon” AKDOT and USACE to “immediately implement emergency erosion mitigation measures to protect the threatened Homer Spit Road from imminent failure” and simultaneously develop and execute and comprehensive long-term mitigation and stabilization strategy that “includes both hardened protection strategies … and sediment management” to improve the resilience of existing roadway embankments.

The city also implores the Alaska State Legislature to “prioritize this critical infrastructure project” by allocating necessary funding and supporting a long-term mitigation and stabilization project in partnership with USACE.

Finally, the city asks Alaska’s federal delegation to champion the Homer Spit protection project at the federal level and to secure federal funding for both the immediate emergency and long-term projects.

Find Holland’s presentation in full in the Oct. 28 meeting recording, available online at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/citycouncil/city-council-regular-meeting-323.

The next city council regular meeting will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. in the Homer City Hall Cowles Council Chambers.

Erosion damage caused to the Homer Spit Road roadbed by a severe storm event in October is photographed on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Bryan Hawkins

Erosion damage caused on the Homer Spit Road by a severe storm event in October is photographed on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Bryan Hawkins