In an effort to efficiently procure the large amounts of gravel fill needed for the Expansion Project, the Port of Anchorage, along with project partners, formed an agreement with Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER) to mine and transport fill for the project from deposits on neighboring military land. This agreement provided benefits to both the military and the project as it provided a source of fill that was easily accessible and in close proximity to the project. This allowed the project to use fill from a nearby, local source rather than paying for transporting fill from an outside source at considerable expense.

The Cherry Hill Haul Road was constructed in order to transport the fill from JBER to the Port of Anchorage, however it soon became apparent that there were additional benefits in constructing this road. Specifically it provided secure and direct vehicle access from JBER to the Port of Anchorage and has allowed the military to avoid using public roadways during deployments, transporting their vehicles and goods directly from base to the port via the Cherry Hill Haul road.