The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Alaska District has awarded a construction contract for the first portion of the Port of Nome modification project in Nome, Alaska.
Kiewit Infrastructure West of Vancouver, Washington, will construct phase 1A of the Port of Nome modification project. Funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, formerly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this construction contract award is valued at about US$399.4 million.
Phase 1A is the first of four phases of the required construction to build the Port of Nome project.
The first phase of the project will construct a 1,200-foot (370-metre) causeway extension with about 600 feet (180 feet) of dock face. Following this portion of the project, the phase two dredging of the deep and outer basins up to minus 40 feet (12 metres) is next scheduled for construction.
The City of Nome is the non-federal sponsor for this project.
The USACE said the entirety of the harbour expansion project aims to provide larger vessels with improved access to Nome’s existing harbour and creating a new deep-water basin at a depth of minus 40 feet. Dredging is required to deepen and maintain both basins and associated navigation channels.
Currently, ship transportation is limited by existing depths in the outer basin of minus 22 feet (6.7 metres). The USACE said this depth is inadequate to safely accommodate vessels of draughts greater than about 18 feet (5.5 metres).