Infrastructure
RSSInfrastructure in Alaska is the physical systems and public facilities that communities build and maintain. It includes transportation, utilities, and public works projects managed by state, municipal, and federal agencies. These efforts cover roads, water systems, and power grids.
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Week of Jul 6
Bethel lands $3.4M for water — and won't pay most of it back
Bethel's picking up $3.38M in state water loans that get fully forgiven once spent — a near-free upgrade for a town where plenty of people still haul their own water.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min readFrom 
For a roadless village, an airport lease is really about the lifeline
For roadless Chefornak, the airport is the only way in or out — so a routine state lease keeping the FAA's weather and navigation gear running matters more than it sounds.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
King Cove finally gets its road, and the lawsuits are still coming
King Cove's long-fought road to the Cold Bay airport has its final federal permit, with construction due in 30 days. Three lawsuits over the refuge land swap are still pending.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A tribal housing authority wants to build 40 affordable homes on wetlands
A tribal housing authority wants to build 40 affordable homes in Southeast — but first it has to fill 4 acres of wetlands, and the state review of that just opened for comment.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage won $191 million for the port that feeds Alaska
Anchorage won a record $191M from the federal government, all of it going to rebuild the port that brings in 90% of Alaska's food and fuel — and to keep those costs off Alaskans' bills.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Kenai council funds $110K roof shortfall, sets Oct. 31 deadline for Senior Center and shelter work
Kenai City Council approved $110,000 Tuesday to fix roofs at the senior center and animal shelter by Oct. 31 after a bid came in higher than expected.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Noatak Airport relocation triggers water quality review as river erodes toward runway
River erosion is forcing Noatak to relocate its airport, and the Army Corps of Engineers opened a water quality review that must clear before construction can start on a new site 1.5 miles west.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska doubles bulk fuel loan cap to $1.5 million for rural communities
Alaska doubled the bulk fuel loan cap to $1.5 million for rural communities starting July 3, helping villages and fuel retailers cover winter heating oil purchases before customer payments arrive.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
More from Infrastructure
Deadhorse Airport paving set for mid-July after holiday pause
Deadhorse Airport paving is set for mid-July as crews work through the Arctic construction season to fix aging pavement and drainage that support North Slope oil and gas operations.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Federal settlement sends $180 million to Port of Alaska modernization
Federal settlement sends $180 million to the Port of Alaska's $2.7 billion modernization program, reducing pressure for tariff increases that could raise fuel and grocery prices statewide.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Rockslide blocks both lanes of North Tongass Hwy near Ward Cove
A rockslide blocked both lanes of North Tongass Highway near Ward Cove on Tuesday morning, cutting the only paved road connecting North Tongass communities to Ketchikan.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Week of Jun 29
Kodiak council to consider $1.2M ice rink roof contract, drawing from two parks funds
Kodiak City Council votes Thursday on a $1.2 million ice rink roof contract that exceeds budget by $644,000, requiring transfers from two other parks projects to fund the work.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
A new tower roof could eat half of Juneau airport's reserve, as pilots push for more
Juneau's airport board may spend nearly half its small reserve on a new tower roof — as 50+ pilots dispute a master plan that claims no unmet demand for fuel.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
On the roadless North Slope, the villages' winter road is made of snow
On the roadless North Slope, a snow trail is how cut-off villages get winter fuel. A Native-owned company builds it — across fragile tundra and caribou country.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A new power line is proposed through a historic Delta park
A utility wants to run a new power line through Big Delta State Historical Park to reach a nearby boat launch — open for public comment through July 31.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A washout severs a Delta Junction road — again
A washout closed Cummings Road in Delta Junction, cutting off a stretch residents partly maintain themselves — the kind of weather hit Interior roads keep taking.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Coming up
Haines Borough Ports and Harbors Advisory Committee Meeting
Assembly Chambers, 315 Haines Highway, Haines, AK, and Zoom (Meeting ID 833 2336 7111, passcode 744008)
Meeting
Alaska Energy Authority Tax-Exempt Bonds Public Hearing
Hearing
Valdez City Council Work Session: High School Renovation Project
Meeting
Haines Borough Assembly Regular Meeting
Meeting
Loring Service Area Board Meeting
Meeting
About Infrastructure
Infrastructure in Alaska takes in the physical systems that communities build and maintain, including roads and bridges, water and sewer lines, power grids, ports, harbors, docks and airports. State, municipal and federal agencies manage this work alongside utilities and tribal organizations.
Much of it is paid for with federal grants, state money and local loans, from airport grants to rail and grid awards. Recurring questions involve aging structures such as failing weirs, cracked bridges and worn water pipes, seismic retrofits, and the cost of replacing village fuel tanks and buildings in remote places where freight is expensive.
Infrastructure connects closely to energy, utility rates and economic development. Decisions about a single dock, pipe or road often fall to a city council or borough assembly, which weighs grants, loans and design options before work begins.
More from Infrastructure
Kipnuk is being pieced back together, one boardwalk at a time
Alaska closes its federal disaster recovery updates as Typhoon Halong rebuilding continues in Kipnuk, with over 12,000 feet of boardwalk restored but federal funding delays still slowing the work.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A landslide has closed the Dalton Highway, the main road to the North Slope
A rain-triggered landslide closed the Dalton Highway north of Coldfoot on Monday — blocking the main road to the North Slope and the freight bound for the oil fields.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The road rebuild behind Spenard's makeover
Anchorage is planning to rebuild Chugach Way — the road running through the heart of Spenard's revival, where old strip clubs and gas stations are becoming new housing.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A federal cyber rule could lock small Alaska firms out of survey work
The Army Corps wants $9.5M in Alaska survey work — but a new federal cybersecurity mandate could disqualify the small, rural firms that would otherwise compete for it.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
One Bethel gym burns through $419,000 a year in energy. An audit says it doesn't have to.
A single Bethel fitness center spends $419,000 a year on energy, mostly heating oil at $5.77 a gallon. An audit found it could save $51,000 a year for almost nothing.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A boat trip made Interior Alaska's needs visible. Who's responsible for them is the harder question.
A Tanana Chiefs boat trip showcased four remote villages' needs. Who's responsible for meeting them is a tangle of federal, state, corporate and tribal roles.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min read
Nome is becoming America's first deepwater port in the Arctic
After nearly 20 years, work is underway to make Nome the first deepwater port in the American Arctic — a ~$600M project deep enough for Coast Guard icebreakers.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's airport is finally expanding its parking
Relief may be coming for one of Anchorage's everyday headaches: the airport is expanding its overflow parking lot, with the work due done by mid-November.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
In Sitka, they're carrying your luggage by hand this summer
Sitka is running its biggest projects all at once — and at the torn-up airport, workers are hand-carrying travelers' bags to keep flights moving through tourist season.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The man who made the case for JBER's new water plant didn't live to see it open
JBER's new water plant now serves 40,000 people, replacing a system running since 1957. Mac Nason, who wrote the case that funded it, died in 2021 and never saw it built.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Failed concrete keeps Fairbanks' Wescott Pool closed all summer, cost climbs
Bad concrete will keep Fairbanks' Wescott Pool closed all summer, pushing reopening to November — and the fix just cost another $837,000, over $12 million total.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A remote Kodiak village tries tp fix its water
Karluk — a village 88 miles from Kodiak city, ringed by refuge — is replacing its failing water system, closing a gap most of America never has to think about.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 22
Juneau harbor board considers $2.5M ADOT grant bids, insurance surcharge cut
Juneau's harbor board backed a $2.5 million state grant bid for two projects and recommended cutting the uninsured moorage surcharge to $1.00 per linear foot from $1.50.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Mountain Village airport gets federally funded snow removal building
Alaska is replacing Mountain Village Airport's snow removal building with a 5 to 10 million dollar federally funded project to keep the runway clear through winter.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A neighborhood drinking arsenic-tainted well water wants help paying to join the city system
A Sand Lake street says its shared wells are laced with arsenic and wants help connecting to city water — reviving the question of who pays for private wells.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
One Floodplain Study Stands Between Fairbanks and a Finished River Walk
Fairbanks is one riverside stretch from a downtown-to-University trail — but that last piece sits in the floodplain, so engineers have to prove it won't flood the neighbors first.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Moves to Fix One of Its Most Dangerous Streets
Anchorage is finally redesigning Bragaw Street — no bike lanes, disappearing sidewalks, nowhere for the snow — with mostly federal money and a six-year timeline.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Kotzebue's backup runway is closing for construction, starting at night
In a roadless region the airport is the road. Kotzebue's bad-weather backup runway is closing for construction — nights first, then around the clock.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 15
Chukchi Campus is getting ADA and fire-safety upgrades after 14 years on the master plan
Chukchi Campus in Kotzebue is finally getting ADA upgrades. The needs were identified in a UAF master plan back in 2011-2012.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on downtown sidewalk and ADA repairs
Anchorage Assembly votes Monday on a $1.77 million contract to repair crumbling downtown sidewalks and fix curb ramps that don't meet federal accessibility rules.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on $76M Eagle River road deal with sole bidder
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on a $76 million road maintenance contract for Eagle River, Chugiak, and Birchwood with McKenna Brothers, the only bidder.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly considers $1.75M federal grant to replace port's 1960s electrical system
Anchorage Assembly considered a $1.75 million federal grant to replace the Port of Alaska's 1960s electrical system, but the port must find $33.25 million more for the $35 million project.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on an $859K Eklutna River study
The Anchorage Assembly's $859K Eklutna study isn't a small procurement — it's part of a decades-long fight over fish, hydropower, and tribal claims.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A new Mat-Su road would cross the ground its drinking water comes from
The Mat-Su drinks only groundwater — and keeps building over it. A new road would cross two drinking-water zones near a creek with a known PFAS problem.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
