Assembly OKs plan to nix the ‘Death Rock of Doom’

The large rock mass sitting above the municipality’s busiest cruise berth - affectionately dubbed the “Death Rock of Doom” by locals - received its tentative death notice on June 4 when the Skagway Borough Assembly approved a plan that would remove a large portion of the rockslide threat.
According to engineers, more than 40,000 cubic yards of material will be excavated and moved down the mountain slowly. In so doing, the chances of a tragic rockslide could be reduced.
Last week, state officials held a community meeting to discuss the rockslide mitigation plan. At that meeting, four plans to resoove the issue were discussed, including the one approved by the Assembly.
Kyle Brennan, representing the engineering firm of Shannon and Wilson, said the rockslide mitigation would not have a major impact on Skagway’s tourism industry as officials planned to do much of the work in the offseason and winter months.
The project is currently listed as in Phase 1 which is the design and engineering portion.
Two-third of the project - or about $20 million - could be funded through a BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) grant through the Federal Emergemcy Management Agency (FEMA).
If approved, the borough is hoping to begin work on the project in 2027.