The Don Young Port of Alaska in Anchorage released 2023 figures that showed unusually high amounts of cement moved across the dock last year, a potential sign of growing activity in construction, reported the Anchorage Daily News.
The port saw nearly 155,000 tons of cement come through last year, about one-third higher than the previous year. According to data, this is the most the port has seen since at least 2007.
About 80% of the cement used in Alaska moves through the port, Jim Jager, a spokesman for the port told the newspaper. Cement is not made in Alaska because it’s not economical in the state’s small market, he added.
The Port of Alaska normally receives four ships carrying cement annually, but five cement ships arrived in 2023, and five are projected to arrive again this year.
Alaska economists forecast that economic growth in the state in 2024 will be driven by big projects involving the oil and gas industry and the federal infrastructure bill.
