PoliticsJuneau · May 7, 2026
juneau just doubled its wall
Juneau is rebuilding its flood barrier to be roughly twice the size of last year and the timing is everything.
Daily Alaska staff · May 7, 2026 · Juneau
Juneau is doubling the size of its flood wall. The City and Borough of Juneau and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are racing to finish a major rebuild of the Mendenhall River flood barrier before summer melt season fully arrives.
Construction kicked off the week of March 16 along Clinton Drive with bank armoring work before installing temporary HESCO barriers. The new wall sits higher and wider, with heavier rock armor along the banks, and it stretches farther in both directions than last year's version.
Phase two extends the barrier upstream to the Back Loop Bridge and downstream nearly all the way to the Juneau International Airport. In some places along the route, the temporary HESCO blocks will be stacked four high or more. The Army Corps stepped in to lead phase two and is covering the estimated 19 million dollar price tag.
Glacier outburst floods from a basin above the Mendenhall Glacier have hit Mendenhall Valley homes two summers running. The rebuild is meant to keep the next round of melt from repeating that damage, with construction scheduled to wrap by July 15.
In this story
Questions people ask
Why is Juneau rebuilding its flood wall?
Glacier outburst floods from a basin above the Mendenhall Glacier have flooded Mendenhall Valley homes two summers in a row, so the city is nearly doubling the wall to protect those neighborhoods.
How much will the project cost and who pays?
The estimated cost is $19 million, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is covering it.
When will the new flood wall be done?
Construction is scheduled to wrap by July 15, 2026, ahead of the next glacier melt season.
How much bigger is the new wall?
It's roughly twice the size of last year's wall, with a higher, wider structure and heavier rock armor along the banks.
Evidence
Sources
Claims and where they come from
- The new flood wall is roughly twice the size of last year's barrier. · alaskapublic.org
- The Army Corps of Engineers is covering an estimated 19 million dollar cost for phase two. · alaskapublic.org
- Phase two extends the wall upstream to the Back Loop Bridge and downstream nearly to the Juneau International Airport. · alaskapublic.org
- Construction is scheduled to finish by July 15. · alaskapublic.org
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