The Homer City Council passed a resolution at their last regular meeting on Feb. 10, expressing support for the Homer Spit Transportation Resiliency project and endorsing efforts by the Alaska Department of Transportation to fund it.

Sponsored by Homer Mayor Rachel Lord and City Manager Melissa Jacobsen, Resolution 25-012 “strongly endorses” AKDOT’s application to the U.S. Department of Transportation for a planning grant under the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost Effective Transportation, or PROTECT, grant program for fiscal years 2024-2026.

According to the resolution, AKDOT has identified mitigation of coastal erosion on the Homer Spit — a longtime issue, but particularly exacerbated by storm surges last November and December — as a “priority in (the) statewide transportation improvement plan,” and identified the Homer Spit Transportation Resiliency project as “critical to improve transportation and public safety.”

The resolution also notes that the resiliency project will “reduce costs by avoiding larger future maintenance and emergency rebuilding costs.”

The PROTECT grant program provides funding to “ensure surface transportation resilience to natural hazards … through support of planning activities, resilience improvements … and at-risk coastal infrastructure.” According to the resolution, the Homer Spit Transportation Resiliency project aligns with PROTECT funding priorities.

Upon approval of their application for a planning grant, AKDOT seeks to develop and implement a data-driven and feasible highway protection” design plan for Homer Spit Road, the information from which will be “valuable in expediting” the coordination and implementation of long-term resiliency measures among key partners, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

If the grant is awarded, the resolution states that the City of Homer will work in partnership with AKDOT to support grant project implementation and agency coordination with USACE and other key partners as needed.

Find Resolution 25-012 in full online at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/citycouncil/city-council-regular-meeting-337.

Further information on erosion challenges and historical mitigation efforts to the Homer Spit can be found at www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/citymanager/homer-spit-coastal-erosion-mitigation.

The next Homer City Council meeting will be held on Monday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. in the Homer City Hall Cowles Council Chambers and over Zoom.