Anchorage Port Audited

Federal investigators are auditing a billion dollar expansion project at the Port of Anchorage amid huge cost overruns, published reports say.

The audit is focusing on the role of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration in the port’s expansion, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

The cost of the expansion project has tripled since 2005 to about $1.2 billion and has stalled because of construction problems and a lack of funding, according to the paper.

The Port of Anchorage is a city entity, but the city gave the lead project role to the maritime agency even though it has never managed a port project, according to the newspaper. 

Amid the problems, the city is considering a proposal to strengthen oversight of the port.

Anchorage has been trying for more than a decade to improve the 50-year-old port.

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Transportation industry Alaska
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