Extreme makeover for the Port of Anchorage: long overdue upgrades will bring the port up to speed.

• Author: Martin, Gary L.
• Position: Proposed Port Expansion Project

The Port of Anchorage, which is located on the east side of Knik Arm in upper Cook Inlet, transported about 4.5 million tons of cargo over its five berths last year. So, what does that mean? That equates to nearly 7 tons of cargo for every man, woman and child in the state of Alaska.

For many people, who have worked at the port over the years, it also means the facility is stretched far beyond its intended capacity and needs an extreme makeover. According to port officials, the Port of Anchorage was not expected to reach the 4 million ton mark until 2010. According to the port's annual tonnage chart, the 4 million mark was actually reached in 2001.

Besides being the arrival point for consumer goods coming to Central and Southcentral Alaska, the Port of Alaska also is a vital element of the regional economy. Its economic impact is more than $750 million a year.

THE PORT'S BEGINNINGS

The Port of Anchorage began operations in September 1961. That year some 38,000 tons of marine cargo crossed its single berth. Since then the port has been expanded to a five-berth terminal, providing facilities for the movement of containerized freight, iron and steel products, wood products, bulk petroleum and cement.

Today, the port serves three major carriers, which bring four to five ships weekly from the Pacific Northwest and Asia. Those carriers are Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Horizon Lines and Lykes Lines, a subsidiary of CP Ships.

Petroleum tankers also supply jet fuel for airport operations, barges onload petroleum products for Western Alaska, and ships from Japan and Korea frequently deliver pipe, drilling mud, construction materials and automobiles.

If the port is to maintain dominance in the market, it will have to accommodate larger ships and have the capability to unload ships using larger cranes. It also will have to guarantee continued service to Anchorage businesses, its citizens and to the state. And to do that the port needs transportation links that support those services.

EXPANSION THROUGH 2011

The port's expansion program is the largest since after the earthquake in 1964. That is when it was expanded to five berths.

The port's expansion program involves three phases; it begins this year and its projected completion date is in 2011. And the cost will be between $300 million and $400 million. According to William Humphries, principal in charge of the Anchorage Port expansion team, there will be no direct cost to municipal taxpayers. The...