Port of Anchorage update: reviewing options before proceeding.

• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Building Alaska

The Port of Anchorage is a busy place in the summer. Ships come in to deliver goods that are distributed to all points within the state: building materials, cement ships, cruise vessels, and regular shipments of household items. In May of this year, the first ever US Navy ship commissioning ceremony took place on the docks of the port in a historical event.

In recent years at the Port, the vision for an expanded and improved infrastructure has been paused due to severe delays in construction.

Mayor Dan Sullivan commented: "In 2009 I was briefed during my transition from Assemblyman to Mayor that the construction project was not going smoothly. It immediately became a priority of my Administration to find out what went wrong and what it was going to take to fix it. My office has been diligent with investigating the issues of the project and how to avoid problems in the future. We've increased communication with all parties involved. At the end of the day, this project is too vital to fail and the responsibility to fix it lies within the city leadership."

Suitability Study

In September of 2011, the US Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District contracted with CH2M Hill on behalf of the Municipality of Anchorage to conduct an independent Suitability Study of the Open Cell Sheet Pile foundation system designed and partially constructed to support the Intermodal Expansion Project. On November 9, 2012, the Anchorage Assembly and the Geotechnical Advisory Committee were briefed on the Draft Suitability Study findings, and the final Suitability Study Report was delivered on February 14 this year. The suitability study determined that the Open Cell Sheet Pile system, as designed for the Port of Anchorage, did not meet design criteria for static and seismic stability.

Design Charrette

Based on the draft findings of the Suitability Study Report, we again contracted with CH2M Hill to develop a repair/ improvement strategy for constructing a new dock at the North End of the Port of Anchorage Terminal and to stabilize and remove the areas that were deemed not successfully constructed and those that had major defects.

In November 2012, a value-based design charrette was held to obtain public and private stakeholder input on the development of three concept designs. Over the course of three days, representatives from the US Maritime Administration, the Municipality of Anchorage, the Port of Anchorage, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Horizon Lines, Cook Inlet Tug...