The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is planning a new dock at Cold Bay, one of the most remote stops on the state ferry system’s route map.
More than 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, on the Alaska Peninsula, the town of just 56 people is the gateway to the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and home to a 10,000-foot runway used as an emergency stop for trans-Pacific flights.
Cold Bay is a stop on the ferry route between Kodiak and Dutch Harbor, but the dock serves more than ferries — it connects the town with ships that supply groceries, water and almost everything else it needs.
State surveys have found that the existing dock “is nearing the end of its serviceable life and is at risk of failing.”
Most of the funding for the new dock is expected to come from the federal government; the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress during the Biden administration included $43.4 million for the dock, and the state will contribute another $8.7 million in matching funds.
The final cost of the dock may be higher than that; inflation has driven the cost of all construction projects higher than they were in 2023, when the federal government awarded a construction grant.
Under DOT’s timeline, the project will go out to bid in spring 2027, with construction beginning the following year, and projected to be completed in 2029.
The new dock is expected to be large enough to support the planned replacement for the ferry Tustumena.
One public meeting about the project has already taken place; a second is planned for Tuesday evening, Dec. 16, by Zoom.