Anchorage Assembly to take up $388,874 to design Merrill Field gate replacements

The Anchorage Assembly is scheduled Tuesday, Oct. 6, to take up $388,874 to design new operators, the mechanisms that open and close gates, for 36 vehicle and aircraft gates at Merrill Field. The money would pay for design only. It is on the consent agenda, where routine items pass together unless a member pulls one.

A reimbursable Federal Aviation Administration Airport Infrastructure Grant would cover $369,430. The airport would supply the $19,444 match from its own general reserves.

The vehicle gate operators are failing, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's administration said in a memo. The design also covers three aircraft gate operators and LED replacements for pole-top lights. The administration said the work would improve security, lighting and protection of movement areas (runways and taxiways) and cut rising maintenance costs. Airport Manager Earl Malpass recommended approval.

Merrill Field, Alaska's second busiest airport, recorded 162,276 flight operations in 2024.

The design includes surveying, environmental documentation, a construction safety and phasing plan, and help with final design and bidding.

The airport's 2026 approved capital program listed the gate design, describing the operators as past their useful life and needing continual maintenance.