Plans to build the United States’ first deepwater Arctic port in Nome, Alaska, are advancing after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District selected Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. for a $399.4-million contract covering the first of the project’s four planned phases.

Port of Nome Modification Phase 1A includes construction of a 1,200-ft-long extension to Nome’s existing causeway consisting of layered aggregate and rock protected by 18 tons of armor stone. That extension is planned to include a 600-ft-long sheet pile dock section and a 30-ft-wide road. The contract’s scope also covers removal of a 250-ft-long spur breakwater and a 22-ton armor stone and rock underlayer from the causeway’s nose. 

Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. was the sole bidder for the firm-fixed-price work, according to a U.S. Dept. of Defense contract award notice. The contractor is a Vancouver, Wash.-based subsidiary of Omaha, Neb.-based Kiewit Corp., which ranks No. 3 on ENR’s Top 400 Contractors. Kiewit representatives did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the contract award. 

The port was originally built in 1917. The project is needed to accommodate larger vessels at the port, according to the Corps. Nome is not connected to Alaska’s road system, and port operations are currently limited by infrastructure and draft depths. Also, Arctic shipping is increasing. The number of vessels equipped with Automatic Identification Systems that traversed the Bering Strait—Nome sites beside the Norton Sound off the Bering Sea—increased from 340 in 2016 to 665 last year, according to the Marine Exchange of Alaska, which has recorded vessel traffic through the region since 2009. 

Future phases of work are planned to extend the causeway another 2,284 ft and add 1,870 ft of dock, create a deepwater basin with a 40-ft depth compared to the current 22-ft depth, and finally to add a second 2,410-ft causeway with 800 ft of dock, plus a 1,450-ft breakwater and a 130-ft causeway bridge. 

Corps officials tell ENR they expect Phase 2 procurement will go out to bid in May 2026, followed by Phase 1B in fiscal year 2028 and Phase 3 in 2030. 

Graphic courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District

The 40-ft deep-water basin will allow the port to accommodate large cruise ships, cargo vessels and every U.S. military ship smaller than an aircraft carrier. 

“A robust and efficient transportation hub at Nome is foundational to the long-term viability of surrounding communities in the region,” Col. Jeffrey Palazzini, commander of the Corps’ Alaska District, said in a statement. 

The project has been in planning for several years, but has faced several delays. Most recently, Corps officials said last fall that they were pausing procurement for the project after bid prices came in higher than expected. They then revised the procurement, splitting the originally planned first phase into two pieces.

The Corps expects completion of Phase 1A in September 2029.