The National Park Service has selected Atkins, the UK-based engineering consultancy, as construction manager and AMEC Earth & Environmental, Oakland, as general contractor for a $3.6-million structural repair project on Alcatraz Island.
This project is one of 10 projects outlined in the multiyear Alcatraz Island Historic Preservation and Safety Construction Program, developed in 2001 to seismically upgrade and restore important structures on the island.
Atkins, which has eight offices in California, said the project involves numerous structures, including the infamous Building #68, the cellhouse for “difficult-to-manage prisoners” from 1934 to 1963. Repairs to the building include work on failing beams in the citadel and shower room areas that support the cellblock structures. This will include replacing beams that support the cellhouse floor to stop and repair structural damage, repairing the cellhouse structural floor and associated non-structural patching, and repairing/restoring salvageable beams to protect them from further deterioration.
Atkins’ services will include on-site inspections, construction contract administration, office services and site visits.
The project is expected to take about a year, said the NPS.
