June 20th, 2021 Marks 44th Anniversary Of First Oil Coming Through The Pipe

Two Huge Construction Projects Have Come Through The Copper Valley 

TRANS-ALASKA PIPELINE

This June 20th marks the 44th anniversary of the start of oil coming through the Alyeska Pipeline. 

On March 27th, 1975, construction began on the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline. The first oil began through the pipe on June 20th, two years later -- and 20 days after the final weld was put in place. 

 Then on July 28th, 1977, the oil arrived at the terminal in Valdez. 

The Pipeline cost $8 billion, and has 71 gate valves. You can see it from throughout the region, along the Richardson Highway. 

ALYESKA PIPELINE ROUTE

Alyeska Pipeline Route (Wikipedia) 

WASHINGTON-ALASKA MILITARY CABLE & TELEGRAPH SYSTEM (WAMCATS) 

Before the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the Richardson Highway, there was another huge and expensive project: WAMCATS. The Washington-Alaska Military Cable & Telegraph System was authorized by Congress in 1900. It was constructed by the U.S. Army Signal Corps. A 2,100 mile undersea cable was linked to over 1,400 miles of land lines, and 107 wireless coverage. This was a major achievement for the time, rivaling the later work of the Alyeska Pipeline. 

The WAMCATS line, in many places, paralleled what was to become the Richardson & Tok Cutoff and much of the Alyeska Pipeline route.

WAMCATS ROUTE