By Margaret Bauman
Alaska Journal of Commerce

Federal authorities are on the verge of awarding a multi-million dollar contract for a rail system into the Port of Anchorage for loading and offloading cargo from train to ship, a spokesman for the contractor said Oct. 26.

An undisclosed number of bids on the road and rail project, which is in the $5 million to $10 million range, are under review, said Bill Humphries, a vice president of Integrated Concepts & Research Corp. (ICRC). The contract will be issued within a week or two, pending approval of the federal Maritime Administration, he said.

The contract is part of the first phase of a massive intermodal expansion project at the port. Work is expected to begin in November and be completed by the end of the 2005 construction season, Humphries said.

ICRC is the program manager for the overall project, which is moving slightly slower than expected, but that's fairly typical of a large federal project, said port spokesman Kevin Bruce.

"We've lengthened our environmental assessment period," Bruce said. He added that federal officials had some concerns about fish habitat.

"There is not much data about what fish are up here, when and for how long," so as the project proceeds, so will some further fisheries studies, he said.

The port expansion project includes three major phases: road and rail extension, the addition of a north terminal and a dock expansion.

Goals of the first phase are to improve cargo flow, reduce traffic congestion outside of port boundaries, improve local air quality and support new military needs, including the Stryker Brigade.

Development of the north terminal will accommodate increased barge shipments, lend shipping facility support to major construction projects, and improve coordination between barge and container ship traffic.

The dock expansion will accommodate ships up to 1,000 feet, and berth ships requiring greater water depth. The dock expansion also is aimed at improving and expanding handling of cruise ships, container ships, bulk material and petroleum, port officials said.

"Next year we will probably do some backlands filling, while final documentation is done on the docksides, and the docks can be designed," Bruce said. Construction of the docks is to start in 2006, he said.

"This works out okay for us, because Congress has been a little slow on appropriation bills, so that horizon has been pushed out a little bit, but it really won't slow us down much," Bruce said. "The appropriations will be in the first quarter, rather than the end of this year." One increased cost already assumed by the expansion project is security costs, which have swelled from $400,000 to $1,684,000 since planning began, he said.

Up until this year, the port had budgeted about $400,000 annually for security, said Roger Graves, who is in charge of government/environmental affairs at the port.

The Port of Anchorage began operations in September 1961, with 38,000 tons of marine cargo moving across its single berth that first year. The port has since expanded to a five-berth terminal, with facilities for movement of containerized freight, iron and steel products, wood products, bulk petroleum and cement. In 2003, more than 4 million tons of various commodities moved across the port docks, officials said.

In a regional effort to encourage development of natural resource industries, the port will need to accommodate larger ships to maintain market dominance, port officials noted in the Port of Anchorage's Web site. The port will also need to unload containers using better and bigger cranes, and ensure continued service to city businesses, residents and the state, according to port officials.

Web resources: Port of Anchorage - www.muni.org/port