Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Fairbanks, AK
Posted by: 
Megadrile
N 64° 55.746 W 147° 37.749
6W E 470253 N 7200700
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline carries oil across the state.
Waymark Code: WM3CR3
Location: Alaska, United States
Date Posted: 03/16/2008
Views: 130
The Alyeska is one of the largest pipelines in the world. Built in the 1970's after oil was discovered at Prudhoe Bay (1968), the 48 inch diameter, 800-mile pipeline links Prudhoe Bay on the Artic Ocean with the terminal at Valdez, the northernmost ice-free port in the Western Hemisphere. The flow from this pipeline accounts for roughly 20 percent of the U.S. oil production annually.
The pipeline is buried for less than half its length, where the ground is well drained gravel or solid rock, and thawing is no problem. Wherever the warm oil would cause thawing of the icy soil (which could cause sinking or heaving) the pipeline, which cost about $8 billion to build, sits on top of 78,000 above ground supporters spaced 60 feet apart. The sections above ground are insulated and covered. The pipe is raised high enough off the ground in places to span rivers or allow wildlife to cross under the pipeline.
Location:
Running throughout the state, this view is located at a highway pull-off on the Steese Expressway just North of Fairbanks, AK.
Type of structure/site: Pipeline
Date of Construction: 1977
Engineering Organization Listing: American Society of Civil Engineers
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Engineer/Architect/Builder etc.: Not listed
Secondary Web Site: Not listed
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