North Slope Borough seeks bids to move poles for seawall work

A utility pole move is set to become the first visible sign that Utqiagvik’s seawall project is moving from planning into construction. The North Slope Borough opened bidding May 7 for BUECI Utility Pole Relocation for Seawall Construction CIP#57268, a job that would pull the existing pole line and its lines off Simmonds Hill and clear space for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seawall route.

The work matters because the route runs through the community’s busiest infrastructure corridor. In Utqiagvik, more than three-fifths of the North Slope region’s population lives, and the city is the borough’s economic, transportation and administrative center. Water, sewer and electric service there are provided by Barrow Utilities and Electric Cooperative, so any pole relocation can mean temporary utility adjustments, access changes or construction traffic near homes, businesses and public facilities tied to the route.

The bid closes May 28, and the timing makes it a practical marker for residents watching whether the long coastal protection effort is finally advancing on the ground. The borough’s notice calls for a new utility pole line to be built off the seawall route, which would keep service aligned with the work zone as crews prepare for the next phase of shoreline protection.

That larger project has been in motion for years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the Barrow Coastal Erosion Project is designed to reduce storm-damage risk along about five miles of coastline. Its plan includes a rock revetment at the bluff area, a protective berm and raising Stevenson Street, all aimed at shielding the community from the coastal forces that repeatedly strike the Chukchi Sea coast.

The Corps awarded the first construction contract in May 2024 to Brice Civil Constructors Inc. of Anchorage. Federal officials have said Utqiagvik’s frequent and severe coastal storms threaten public health and safety, the local economy, critical infrastructure valued at more than $1 billion, subsistence access and cultural resources. The agency has also said it expects construction to wrap up in the fall of 2033.

The utility relocation bid adds a local, immediate dimension to that larger timeline. For people in Utqiagvik, it is not just a procurement notice. It is the first visible step showing how the borough, BUECI and the Corps are trying to move a major shoreline defense project forward without cutting off the power, water and access the community depends on every day.