Glass-smooth Mendenhall River, Mendenhall Glacier, and the Juneau Icefield form the backdrop for one of the bronze medallions designed by Roy Peratrovich Jr. Tlingit moieties Eagle and Raven stand upon a rock that represents the Alaska Native Brotherhood. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
State transportation officials and Juneau Native leaders dedicated a new bridge crossing the Mendenhall River as the Brotherhood Bridge Saturday.
The new, wider structure was constructed for $25 million and it was designed to accommodate Glacier Highway’s future traffic needs. The bridge is the fifth crossing of the river at that location, and it replaces the former Brotherhood Bridge that was constructed in 1965 and dismantled last year.
A bright, rising sun shone on Saturday morning’s dedication, which featured a procession of Native leaders and comments from Roy Peratrovich Jr., designer of the original Brotherhood Bridge and the ten bronze medallions that were installed along the hand railing of the old bridge.
Roy Peratrovich Jr. (from left at front), Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand President Johanna Dybdahl, and Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand President Sasha Soboleff lead the procession to the new Brotherhood Bridge that includes Peratrovich’s family and transportation officials. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
Procession of builders and local Native leaders make their way across the bridge. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
The first Brotherhood Bridge was dedicated to honor and commemorate the Alaska Native Brotherhood, created in 1912, that advocated for civil rights for Alaska Natives.
After it was built, Lt. Governor Byron Mallott said he made a particular effort to visit it when he traveled to Juneau because of what it meant to Alaska Natives and to all people of Alaska.
“It occurred at a time that was very different from today,” Mallott said. “A time when Alaska’s peoples were still coming together.”
New Brotherhood Bridge features underpasses for pedestrians and cyclists on both banks of the Mendenhall River. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
New Brotherhood Bridge is more than double the width of the old bridge. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
Roy Peratrovich Jr., son of Alaskan civil rights pioneer Elizabeth Peratrovich, elicited a laugh from the audience when he mentioned that the former bridge was designed with drafting tables and slide rules.
“Maybe you don’t know what that is,” Peratrovich joked. “But it lasted 50 years. We want you to last 75.”
As the first registered Native civil engineer in Alaska, Peratrovich said the profession continues in his family. He said his grandson is designing rocketships for Space-X.
Ribbon is cut for the new Brotherhood Bridge. Shown from left is Federal Highway Administration’s Sandra Garcia-Aline, Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, original Brotherhood Bridge designer Roy Peratrovich Jr., Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand President Sasha Soboleff, Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand President Johanna Dybdahl, and Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Marc Luiken. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
“We owe you a great debt of thank you, Roy, for your insight , for bringing this particular bridge to serve Juneau,” said Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand President Sasha Soboleff.
“But it brings to mind one of the other things that we all work for, and that is the improvement in the quality of our life.”
Large concrete versions of the bronze medallions have been erected on the sides of the bridge abutments. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
New intepretive panels explaining the history of the Brotherhood Bridge have been erected in the trailhead parking lot adjacent to the bridge. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
The new four-lane Brotherhood Bridge features the restored bronze medallions that were recovered from the old two-lane bridge, and large concrete replicas that have been installed on the abutments.
The procession makes their way across the new Brotherhood Bridge. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott (from left to right), Roy Peratrovich Jr., and Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Marc Luiken pause for pictures before Saturday’s ribbon cutting for the new Brotherhood Bridge. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
Orion Marine Contractors was the general contractor for the project with construction getting underway in April 2014. They constructed the upstream span of two lanes while traffic continued on the old bridge. Traffic was diverted to the new span as the old bridge was being dismantled and replaced with another span that was two lanes wide. The bridge includes a 6-foot wide sidewalk on the upstream side, and underpasses at both ends for pedestrians and cyclists.
Editor’s note: The spelling of “Peratrovich” has been corrected.
Sign up for The Signal
Top Alaska stories delivered to your inbox every week
Close
Update notification options
Subscribe to notifications
Subscribe
Get notifications about news related to the topics you care about. You can unsubscribe anytime.
