The Port of Nome will offer the nation’s first deep-water Arctic port through an agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Alaska District and the city of Nome, which owns and operates the port , also known as Nome Harbor.
The $548 million project, 90 percent paid for by the federal government and the remaining 10 percent by the city, will rebuild Nome Harbor so it can handle more ships at any one time and increase the harbor’s depth from 22 feet deep . at 40 feet — sufficient to adequately accommodate a wide range of vessels for trade, tourism and national security.
“As sea ice retreats and maritime traffic increases in the Arctic, Nome is at the center of an evolving world,” Col. Jeffrey Palazzini, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, said in a statement. ‘United States Army. “A more efficient transportation hub in the form of this port expansion will create opportunities to improve housing, food security and infrastructure by strengthening the region’s supply chain.”
The project collaboration agreement signed on January 25 is a key part of the federal process needed to move the project forward. The agreement outlines the project and the responsibilities of the federal government and the non-federal sponsor, which is the City of Nome, in sharing costs and carrying out the work. Corps officials expect to award a construction contract later this year.
The main objective of the project will be to expand the outer basin of Nome Harbor while creating a new deep water basin, the first in the Arctic for the United States. Dredging will deepen and maintain deep and outer water basins and associated navigation channels.
The Port of Nome, which serves as a regional center located in the center of Alaska’s west coast, was first established in 1917 and is located on the Seward Peninsula adjacent to Norton Sound. It is about 545 miles northwest of Anchorage and has no access to Alaska’s major highway systems. Government officials believe that Nome, with a population of 3,500, is of critical importance to the viability of surrounding communities. The Port of Nome also provides a launch point for vessels bound for the Bering Strait shipping lanes.
New construction at the harbor will extend the west causeway by more than 3,400 feet and build a new east causeway aligned with F Street, creating about 2,000 feet of usable dock moorage and a series of 400-foot docks attached to the causeways.
Depending on the size of the ships in the port, the expansion will double or triple the number of ships capable of docking at one time. The 40-foot deep water basin allows the port to accommodate large cruise ships, cargo ships and all U.S. military vessels smaller than an aircraft carrier.
The pre-construction, engineering, design and first construction phase is now funded at $250 million, allowing the project to move toward the award of a construction contract in 2024. The total project cost is 548 million dollars. The recommended navigation improvement plan was first approved by the USACE in May 2020, and was then estimated at $491 million.
“The Port of Nome, the first deep-water port in the Arctic, will be positioned to play a critical role in ensuring that the United States is a leader in the Arctic region in terms of national security, international trade and geopolitical influence,” has added Senator Dan Sullivan says in a statement. “This announcement is a milestone for the project.”
Nome Mayor John Handeland says the nation has long needed a deep-water port to enable refueling and refueling services for the nation’s national security fleet operating in the Arctic. “In addition,” he says, “the expanded port will improve support in the transportation of critical goods and fuel throughout the region.”
As U.S. homeland security turns its attention to Alaska, work is already underway on a runway expansion project to accommodate larger aircraft and more frequent use at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in the north of Anchorage.
“As the need for economic stability and national security in the Arctic becomes ever more important,” says Palazzini, “USACE stands with Alaskan communities and the broader American nation as we design solutions to our nation’s toughest challenges in the far north.”
