Expanding Alaska's ports: increases in shipments, size of ships requires communities to respond.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: TRANSPORTATION

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For residents of the Last Frontier, having a viable port system is crucial. Many of the state's commodities including food, machinery, furniture and housing materials enter Alaska through its seaways. To this end, Alaska's ports must be maintained, and often expanded, to meet the growing needs of the communities they serve. From the Port of Anchorage, which is the state's largest, to smaller rural ports along the Inside Passage, these transportation hubs play a vital role in sustaining Alaska's economy.

This year alone, spending at the Port of Anchorage will reach $70 million as part of a $700 million, multi-year expansion project that will nearly double the size of the port. At the same time, the Port of Cordova plans to spend slightly over $2 million to add a travel-lift facility that will enable the city to attract larger boats to its harbor for maintenance. There are also many projects on the drawing board, including the Alaska Railroad's plans for an extension of their freight dock in Seward, and plans to expand the Port of Homer's deep-water dock and East Bay Harbor. This is despite the fact that construction costs have been rising for the past year and continue to increase.

"The costs of everything have gone up so much that even if you had a ballpark figure on a project a few months ago, you now need to get a new estimate," explained Bryan Hawkins, port director and harbormaster at the Port of Homer. "All you can do is try to look into the future to see what the community and the region needs, and then figure out where that money is going to come from."

THE PORT OF ANCHORAGE

Much has been written about expansion plans for the Port of Anchorage, which is considered to be the biggest public works project in the history of the city. The port currently serves 80 percent of Alaska's population and transports 90 percent of its consumer goods. Established in 1961 it is currently undergoing a $700 million expansion, which was expected to cost about $400 million when it was first proposed.

"We're now in the process of driving sheet-pile in the area of our new barge berths, and expect to have that project completed before the end of the season," said Deputy Port Director Stephen Ribuffo. "We're also beginning fill operations on the north extension piece of the expansion, and are working on completing the breakwater wall on the south end of the north extension.

"Next year, we'll begin fill operations on the south...