New Floating Cruise Ship Berths for Juneau, Alaska

The City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) needed additional berthing space downtown for the larger cruise ships arriving to the Inside Passage of Alaska. Floating cruise ship berths were selected by the project team as the preferred alternative in order to accommodate passenger loading, unloading, and queueing operations and to provide greater security, address the large tides, and unique geotechnical challenges presented by the project site. PND worked closely with officials from the CBJ and the cruise line agencies during the planning and design phases of the project to provide input on the size, alignment, and features of the new floating berths. The final configuration of the floating cruise ship berths are parallel and offshore from the current downtown cruise ship fixed docks. The new berths included two large floating concrete pontoons. The largest pontoon measures 400 feet long and 50 feet wide. The second pontoon measures 300 feet long and 50 feet wide. The concrete pontoons are held in place by large, steel pipe pile dolphins. In addition to the concrete pontoons, other major project elements include mooring and breasting dolphins to support ship berthing operations, two orthotropic steel transfer bridges, two timber approach piers, a smaller moorage float with gangway access, electrical systems to support the facility operations, and water and waste water systems to support ship operations while in port. The project site for the downtown cruise ship berths presents many challenges that are unique to marine infrastructure design in southeast Alaska. These challenges include geotechnical conditions which vary from loose marine sediment to shallow, steep, sloping bedrock, large tidal ranges, and extreme environmental conditions. By utilizing the experience of designing and constructing in similar conditions in Alaska and elsewhere, the project team was able to address these challenges with the new berths’ design.