Barges will use old sawmill dock while ramp under repair

A lifeline for food and supplies needs fixing - one of the flotation tanks beneath Wrangell's barge ramp has a hole.

Port Director Steve Miller said harbor staff at the end of August noticed the ramp wasn't raising high enough.

There are two buoyancy tanks below the ramp.

By adding or removing air, the ramp, originally constructed in 1977, can be raised or lowered to meet the deck of the barge to match the tides.

A second flotation tank was added in the 1980s to handle the additional weight when an extra layer of steel was placed on top of the 140-foot-long barge ramp, Miller said.

Harbor staf...