Infrastructure
RSSAlaska News tracks infrastructure projects across Alaska, including transportation, utilities, water systems, and public facilities planning and development.
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 News2mo ago2 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
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 News2mo ago3 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
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 2mo ago1 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
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 3mo ago2 min readAI
Juneau moves to extend its seawalk to the farthest cruise dock
Juneau's spent 20 years building a waterfront path it still can't finish. Now it wants the stretch to the far cruise dock. Mind the gap.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Chugach Electric wants perpetual easements through two Anchorage parks
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on giving Chugach Electric permanent easements through Russian Jack Springs Park and Ira Walker Park to bury aging power lines, affecting nearly 50,000 square feet of parkland at no cost to the city.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly to vote on $11M Port construction management deal
Anchorage votes June 23 on $11M in Port engineering contracts. The Port handles 90% of Alaska's freight, so worth a look.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
MEA is building a 40-acre substation in Meadow Lakes for Mat-Su's growing grid
Mat-Su is getting a 40-acre substation in Meadow Lakes — major infrastructure for the fastest-growing Alaska region. Take that, Anchorage!
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Kodiak Borough OKs Water Upgrade for Village of Karluk
Kodiak Island Borough Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a water treatment upgrade for the Native Village of Karluk, adding storage and lines for year-round drinking water.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Ben Eielson High lab rebuild is part of Eielson AFB's F-35-era buildout
Army Corps of Engineers is upgrading science labs at Ben Eielson High School with new propane safety controls, part of a decade-long federal buildout tied to the base's role as a primary F-35 fighter hub for the Pacific region.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago3 min readAI
Alaska DOT&PF Awards $2.2M to 15 Trail Projects Statewide
Trail fail? No. Trail $2m bail out.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly to appropriate $1.75M federal port power grant
Anchorage Assembly votes Monday on a $1.75 million federal grant to harden the Port of Alaska's electrical systems against earthquakes and add backup power for cargo terminals.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly to vote on burying power lines through two East Side parks
Anchorage Assembly will vote on giving Chugach Electric permanent easements through Russian Jack Springs Park and Ira Walker Park to bury power lines underground, improving storm resilience.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Eielson AFB PFAS plume is spreading, Air Force warns data center bidders
Air Force is leasing 8,700 acres at three Alaska bases for AI data centers, with bids due June 29. • Eielson AFB parcels sit in or near a moving PFAS contamination plume with no completed environmental surveys. • Developers bear the risk and cost; leases are as-is with no Air Force warranties or utilities provided. • Local permits required from North Pole, Fairbanks North Star Borough, and state energy authority.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Petersburg to receive Papke's Landing dock, tidelands from state
Petersburg Borough will take ownership of Papke's Landing, a deteriorating state dock and 8.8 acres of tidelands on Wrangell Narrows, but will need to hire staff and buy equipment to maintain the busy public boat launch.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min readAI
Anchorage programs Fairview Bypass into 2052 plan at $220M
Anchorage added the Fairview Bypass to its 2052 transportation plan at $220.5 million across four phases, but the state faces a $150 million short-term budget shortfall and whether the project gets built remains uncertain.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage transit plan adds $684M in routes, microtransit zones through 2052
Anchorage's transit plan adds bus rapid transit, microtransit zones, and free fares for seniors and veterans through 2052. • The $684 million package depends entirely on projected revenue materializing over 26 years. • State funding faces a $150 million short-term deficit competing against other Alaska priorities.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Ketchikan harbor parking enforcement back after contract gap
Ketchikan's harbor parking enforcement resumed after a contract gap left derelict vehicles and people living in cars occupying lots for months, with police and parking enforcement now working through a backlog.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAI
Ketchikan tender float meets code, port says after charter operator's safety request
Ketchikan's Tender Float 3 meets building codes without guardrails, port officials confirmed after engineers found no code requirement for railings on the 18-inch-high float.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska DOT programs Fairview Bypass into 2052 plan at $220M
Alaska DOT programmed the Fairview Bypass into its long-range transportation plan at $220.5 million across four phases, with construction stages starting at $60 million for a regional connection near Merrill Field.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
MEA secures easements for new 115-kV transmission lines as Mat-Su's growth keeps outrunning its electrical infrastructure
Matanuska Electric Association secured easements Wednesday to build 22 miles of new transmission lines in the Mat-Su, adding capacity as the borough's residential growth outpaces its electrical grid.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Alyeska tears down Pump Station 8 near Salcha
Alyeska Pipeline is demolishing Pump Station 8 near Salcha, 30 miles south of Fairbanks, removing buildings and tanks that have sat idle since the station closed in 1996.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
North Slope oil production set to jump 76% as new fields come online
Kuparuk Pipeline seeks permits to boost North Slope oil capacity 76 percent, from 360,000 to 634,000 barrels per day, to handle new fields including the Pikka project. Public comment deadline is June 26.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min readAI
