What magnitude of earthquake is the structure designed to withstand?
Recognizing the critical nature of the Port of Anchorage, Mayor Begich appointed a 2004 “Blue Ribbon Panel” comprised of local business leaders and national experts that either understand the importance of the structure to Alaska’s commerce and/or the seismic/geotechnical issues. This panel recommended a two-level design approach in accordance with the American Society of Civil Engineer’s (ASCE) standard for structural design of marine facilities. Under the first level of design, an Operating Level Earthquake (OLE) was set as the base design earthquake, that should it occur, the entire structure would undergo little or no damage without interruptions to basic operations. The second level of design calls for a Contingency Level Earthquake (CLE), that should this larger earthquake occur, the structure shall be designed so as to undergo damage that is controlled, economically repairable, and is not a threat to life or safety. Further, this panel recommended that the design team continue t
