Alaska Public Media
By: Zachariah Hughes

As aggressive corrosion rapidly degrades the Port of Anchorage, its funding future is in the hands of Juneau lawmakers. Funding for construction and rehabilitation of port infrastructure was the only financial request of the mayor’s administration in Anchorage for this session. But the possibility of action on a major spending project, even one most see as critical and inevitable, is nearly impossible according to lawmakers on both sides.

Trying to follow major spending request Continue reading →

Alaska Public Media
By: Zachariah Hughes

The Port of Anchorage is literally coming apart, threatening to upend the state’s essential supply chain in what officials have called “a slow motion disaster.”

Every year, millions of taxpayer dollars are spent simply coping with the aggressive corrosion of the port’s most basic infrastructure. But without hundreds of millions to pay for major rehabilitation work, the nexus point for most of the state’s fuel, food, and building supplies  Continue reading →

Alaska Public Media
By: Zachariah Hughes

An enormous share of Alaska’s food, fuel, and supplies come into the state through just a single access point: the Port of Anchorage. Even small communities in distant parts of the state rely on the steady flow of goods over the port’s docks. It’s a critical supply-chain that connects hundreds of communities, and is under threat from deteriorating infrastructure.

On a recent crystal clear morning, semi-trucks barreled up and down long drawbridges connecting the Continue reading →

KSKA – Anchorage
By: Zachariah Hughes

The Senate Finance Committee has released its first version of the capital budget, which tracks closely to the governor’s version with a few notable exceptions.

Silt build up around the pilings at the Port of Anchorage. Photo courtesy of Jim Jager, Port of Anchorage.

The total amount of unrestricted general fund spending is $79.7, according to a staffer for Sen. Anna McKinnon, R-Eagle River, who co-chairs the finance committee. That figure pales in comparison Continue reading →

YourAlaskaLink.com
By: Gretchen Parsons

With only two weeks left in session, some Alaskans are wondering if lawmakers will set aside any funding for the Port of Anchorage, which according to the POA, two of three terminals are in deteriorating condition, while the third is 50 years old.

An estimated 90 percent of food, for 85 percent of Alaska’s population, comes through the facility.
Despite the Port’s significance, money is tight, and Rep. Donny Olson says throwing cash at the Continue reading →

KTUU News
By: Travis Khachatoorian

With legislators running out of time, officials at the Port of Anchorage are beginning to worry their efforts to secure funding to fix the crumbling infrastructure at the state’s most productive dock will be pushed aside by lawmakers.

House Bill 329 is stuck in a House finance committee with no signs it will see a vote by the end of the session. It’s a bill backed by Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz to put the Continue reading →

Alaska Dispatch News
By: Annie Zak

Dredging at the Port of Anchorage, the perpetual task of digging silt out of the port’s waters so ships can dock without hitting bottom, started early again this year to handle the extra silt built up because of the current configuration of the port.

A lack of ice this past winter in Cook Inlet allowed dredging equipment to come in and start the process months ahead of the usual schedule, ramping up Continue reading →