Trans-Alaska Pipeline

The 1,288 kilometer line that has carried North Slope oil to the ice-free port of Valdez since 1977.

Overview

Built 1974 to 1977 after the oil embargo made Alaskan crude a national priority, the pipeline runs mostly above ground on elevated, zigzagged supports engineered to flex over permafrost without melting it. Throughput peaked near 2 million barrels a day in 1988 and has fallen to under half a million, raising engineering questions about low-flow icing that the operators study continuously. The Exxon Valdez ran aground leaving Valdez in 1989, spilling about 11 million gallons. The line is half museum piece, half strategic asset, and entirely iconic.