The city of kodiak (city) is situated on the northeast corner of kodiak island in the gulf of alaska, south of anchorage and east of the alaska peninsula (figure 1)

The kodiak fishing port is the largest in the state and ranks among the top in the country. Kodiak offers a year-round ICE-free harbor and an opportunity to fish for five species of pacific salmon, especially the prized king salmon, as well as halibut, rockfish, and many other marine fish species.recreational boaters currently use two boat ramps located in the city of kodiak to launch and retrieve trailer-able boats. One at ST. Paul boat harbor located in downtown and one at ST. Herman harbor located on near island. ST. Paul is a much smaller facility with limited access due to accessibility at low tide. ST. Herman is a busy harbor that can require long waiting periods to access the boat ramp during peak times as IT has two paved ramps with wider and longer dock.during 2022, 1266 individual boat launches occurred at the kodiak ST. Paul harbor ramp. The total number of launches tallied represents a minimum, as IT does not include boaters that are in noncompliance with the launch fee schedule or multiple launches by season pass holders each year. The alaska department of fish and game (ADF g) statewide harvest survey data supports the fact that sport anglers contribute significantly to the marine fishery. From 2017-2021, sport anglers fishing saltwater near kodiak expended over 38,000 angler days of effort and harvested approximately 26,498 salmon and 47,027 halibut as well as rockfish and lingcod.for many years the city had only one boat launch, located in downtown kodiak, the date of the launch ramp original construction is unclear. The ramp is shown on existing project drawings for the ramp float dated 1979. The ramp is composed of precast concrete planks bearing on treated timbers. Sometime after construction the joints between several of the concrete planks were grouted which has reduced the flexibility between a few the planks and potentially lead to increase wear in the planks due to settlement below the ramp. The damaged planks were previously repaired and or replaced in 1998, but the ramp itself is now exceeding its useful life expectancy.site inspections in december 2020 and march 2021 determined the majority of the concrete planks to be worn and no longer providing a safe surface for vehicles while launching vessels. Due to a combination of undermining at the bottom of the ramp from dredging in the harbor and the failure of the hook and eye system linking the planks, several of the bottom planks have also separated from each other and become displaced. The separated planks have become a hazard and resulted in multiple vehicles becoming stuck on the ramp during usage at lower tides, the issue of the separated planks has been compounded by effective raising of the ramp by tectonic rebound that has continued from the 1964 great alaska earthquake. The accompanying float, although usable, is worn and narrower than recommended by current design standards.based on the site inspections IT was recommended that the launch ramp be replaced by a new concrete panel ramp of similar width (16 feet wide) but be extended to in length to better accommodate launchings at low tide. IT was also recommended that at the time of the ramp replacement the pile, abutments, and float also be replaced. The float would be widened to 8 feet wide and would benefit from replacement by being brought up to americans with disabilities act guidelines and improve user experiences.