The jet bridges at the Anchorage airport are wearing out

If you've felt a jet bridge at the Anchorage airport clunk and sway on your way to the plane, there's a reason. A lot of them are old, and the state is swapping them out a couple of gates at a time.

Two more are next, one in the C gates and one in the N gates on the north end. The state is taking bids now to design and build the replacements, a job priced between $2.5 and $5 million.

It's been going on a while. A pair of gates got new bridges last year, and the airport's list still has several more, including some in the B and C concourses where most Anchorage fliers board. The federal government is paying for around six of them. One old bridge at gate B9 was pulled in 2022 because it kept breaking down and parts had run out.

When a bridge quits, that gate goes dark until it's fixed, which means fewer gates working and a better chance you're stuck on the plane waiting for an open spot, or standing at the carousel waiting on your bag. New bridges fix that, though installing them means closing gates one at a time, and this round runs through the end of 2028.

About 5.4 million people fly through Anchorage a year, and none of this comes from state taxes. The airport pays with federal money, landing fees and the shops and restaurants inside. Bids on the two new bridges are due Aug. 13.