Port MacKenzie begins exporting gravel

Barges, loaded with prime gravel, have been leaving Port MacKenzie for the past two weeks. 

The gravel is heading to the Port of Anchorage expansion project. By selling its gravel and moving it across the dock, the Borough is generating wharfage and dockage fees as well as royalties for gravel. Port MacKenzie Director Marc Van Dongen is pleased. “We're looking at more than $600,000 in revenue to the Port and the Borough,” Van Dongen said.

The contractor, QAP, is estimating they will barge 400,000 tons of gravel.

“This is a new business,” Van Dongen said. “The Port focuses on exporting natural resources. We started with wood chips now we're exporting sand and gravel. We expect to start importing cement from China later this year. And other commodities will follow like fuel and limestone.”

The gravel extraction also helps cut down the grade of a hill, where the future tracks will likely go for the railroad extension.

At the same time, another project is underway. Most of the 14.4 mile road that leads to the Port is under construction. The $15 million Point MacKenzie 

Road project will be paved by the end of Oct. 2008. Contractor, Alaska Interstate Construction (AIC), is making great progress. AIC is focusing its gravel operations out of the expanded Alsop gravel pit.

“There's a lot of traffic coming to the Port,” Van Dongen said. Plus we have businesses out here, workers who have to commute. The gravel road is real tough to drive on. It's dusty. We get a lot of flat tires, so the paved road will really be a significant improvement for the development of the Port.”

Point MacKenzie is the northernmost deep draft port in North America. It can accommodate the largest ships in the world.

Photos by Patty Sullivan/Public Affairs MSB.