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The Port of Alaska’s Petroleum and Cement Terminal (PCT) used three custom BILCO hatches in an unusual place: on a marine trestle rather than on a building roof. Each 10-by-20-foot, stainless-steel, double-leaf hatch gives crews access to fuel-piping expansion joints and shelters containment pans intended to limit a spill if a joint fails during an earthquake.
The installation was described in a 2022 BILCO case study. The project’s later official records show that Phase I, including the PCT, was completed in 2024 for $223.5 million and that the new terminal is open. That current status supersedes the case study’s older forecast that the terminal might open by the end of 2022.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →What made the Port of Alaska hatch installation unusual?
The unusual feature was not simply the size of the hatches; it was their setting and job. Commercial roof hatches normally provide vertical access through a roof to mechanical equipment, but these three units were installed on the PCT trestle, the structure connecting the shore-side facilities to the loading platform. They cover access points around fuel-piping expansion joints and provide a protective enclosure for containment pans below the piping.
The BILCO case study identifies all three as custom-made, double-leaf roof hatches. Each measures 10 by 20 feet and weighs about 2,500 pounds when assembled. Because a complete unit was too heavy and cumbersome to ship as one piece, the leaves were shipped separately and assembled at the project site. That combination—an industrial access product, a very large clear opening, and a non-roof marine application—made the installation distinctive.
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The hatches serve two related purposes. First, they can be opened when crews need to inspect or replace an expansion joint. Second, they shelter containment pans that would receive fuel if a joint were damaged during a seismic event. Brett Gunderson of Haskell Corporation, identified in the case study as a mechanical and structural subcontractor, explained the maintenance purpose: “The hatches also allow access to the expansion joints should they need to be replaced.”
How does the PCT fit into the Port of Alaska modernization?
The PCT is Phase I of the Port of Alaska Modernization Program in Anchorage. The completed terminal replaced Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants Terminal 1 (POL1), an older facility that had become vulnerable to corrosion and earthquake damage.
According to the 2022 BILCO project case study, the Port opened in 1961 and the terminal being replaced opened in 1965. The case study says inspections found corrosion in the pilings and that a 2018 earthquake caused additional damage. The modernization plan began in 2020 with goals that included improved safety, greater operational efficiency, accommodation for modern ships, and better earthquake resilience.
The PCT work included a new trestle and loading platform, mooring dolphins, utilities, and infrastructure for petroleum and cement handling. BILCO’s case study reports 123 precast concrete units and 2,903 cubic yards of concrete supporting the trestle and platform; several of those units weighed more than 250,000 pounds. Those figures describe the scale of the civil and marine construction, not the hatch assemblies alone.
The case study also says the Port is a major supply route for Alaska and that more than 3.5 million tons of products move through it each year, including jet fuel for Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and a military installation. That throughput figure is attributed to BILCO’s 2022 publication and should not be read as a newly verified current statistic.
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What are the hatch dimensions, materials and handling requirements?
The published project details establish the following specifications. They describe the PCT installation, not a standard consumer product or an off-the-shelf catalog configuration.
| Attribute | PCT installation | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|
| Number of hatches | Three | Access was required at three trestle locations. |
| Overall size of each hatch | 10 by 20 feet | The opening had to accommodate access to large piping expansion joints and the associated containment area. |
| Configuration | Double leaf | Two leaves made a very large opening practical to operate and ship. |
| Approximate assembled weight | 2,500 pounds per hatch | The weight drove separate shipment of the leaves and field assembly. |
| Construction | Stainless steel | The material was selected for a marine environment in which corrosion resistance was important. |
| Location | PCT trestle | The hatches were used over a marine access and containment area rather than a conventional building roof. |
| Primary functions | Expansion-joint access and containment-pan protection | The units combined maintenance access with a seismic spill-containment role. |
The case study says the leaves were assembled on site after shipping separately. For a project team, that detail affects lifting plans, temporary storage, alignment, fastening, and the sequence for coordinating hatch installation with piping and containment work. It also illustrates why a hatch should be treated as part of the structural and mechanical design rather than as a late architectural accessory.
How do the hatches protect fuel-piping expansion joints?
The hatches create a removable cover over an access zone that must remain reachable throughout the terminal’s service life. When the leaves are closed, the area is protected from the marine environment and normal operating exposure. When maintenance is required, the leaves can be opened to reach the expansion joints without dismantling the trestle or cutting into a permanent deck.
- Normal operation: The leaves remain closed, covering the access opening and the containment-pan area.
- Inspection or replacement: Maintenance personnel open the hatch to reach the expansion joint. The case study specifically identifies replacement access as a reason for the design.
- Seismic or piping failure: If an expansion joint fails, the pans beneath the piping are intended to collect released product rather than allowing it to spread immediately across the trestle.
- Recovery: After the event, the large opening gives crews room to inspect the joint, remove damaged components and restore the containment system.
The sources do not provide a spill volume, a rated containment capacity, a hatch load rating, or independent evidence of performance during an earthquake. Those values would have to come from the project’s stamped drawings, equipment schedules, calculations and commissioning records, not from the case-study narrative.
Why was stainless steel and custom fabrication important?
The PCT is exposed to salt-laden air, moisture, fuel-handling operations and heavy marine construction. The case study says stainless-steel construction was important to the project team. It also quotes Gunderson saying the team chose BILCO because the hatches were very large and the manufacturer could design and fabricate them to operate easily and safely.
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BILCO’s access-hatch product information describes equipment-access hatches and notes that custom fabrication can meet project-specific size requirements. Its broader access-door information likewise presents custom-engineered products. That information supports the general point that a commercial hatch manufacturer can engineer a nonstandard opening; it does not establish that every large hatch has the same material, loading, hardware or weather-sealing details as the PCT units.
For a marine trestle, the specification should address more than corrosion resistance. Designers need to coordinate the hatch frame with the surrounding deck, verify that the leaves will not interfere with piping or lifting equipment, and define how water is shed away from the opening. Operators also need a safe method for opening, securing and closing each leaf under the site’s wind and weather conditions.
What did the 2022 cost and schedule statements mean?
The BILCO case study described the modernization as a five-stage, decade-long program and gave an estimated possible total cost of $1.8 billion. That was the case study’s 2022 framing for the broader modernization, not the final cost of Phase I and not a current program estimate.
The same publication said the PCT was expected to open by the end of 2022. That was a forward-looking forecast. Later official records provide the more relevant status:
- The Port of Alaska/Municipality of Anchorage finance document revised in November 2025 records Phase I completion in 2024 at a cost of $223.5 million.
- The Municipality’s modernization update says the new PCT is open.
- The Port’s April 2025 program report describes the completed PCT as a 351-foot trestle, a 170-by-90-foot dock and six 12-inch petroleum lines.
The April 2025 report says the PCT is designed to be operable within one week after a 1,000-year seismic event. That wording is a Port design target. It should not be presented as an independently demonstrated recovery time or as a guarantee that every system will be restored within one week after an actual earthquake.
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What should an owner specify when ordering a hatch for a trestle?
The PCT case is useful because it shows the questions that must be answered before a manufacturer sizes a hatch. The following checklist is a specification framework, not a list of undocumented features of the Port installation.
| Specification question | Reason to resolve it early |
|---|---|
| What clear opening is required? | Base the opening on the largest component that must pass through it, the working room needed for tools and lifting, and the access route for replacement parts. |
| Will the leaves be manual or powered? | Leaf size and weight determine whether counterbalances, assist hardware, lifting points or powered operators are needed. |
| What material and finish suit the exposure? | Marine air, chemicals, temperature, wash-down practices and dissimilar-metal contacts can change the appropriate material and fastening system. |
| What loads must the closed hatch resist? | Designers should identify maintenance traffic, equipment loads, wind, snow where applicable, impact and any accidental loading from nearby operations. |
| How will the opening be sealed and drained? | Weather seals, curb geometry, deck slopes and drainage details protect the space below without trapping water around the frame. |
| How will workers open and secure the leaves? | Specify hand-clearance, hold-open devices, fall protection, lockout provisions and a method that remains usable after a power loss. |
| What maintenance access is required? | Identify inspection intervals, removable components, lifting points and the largest replacement part that must pass through the opening. |
| What documentation is required? | Request shop drawings, structural calculations, finish data, installation instructions, operation manuals and a replacement-parts schedule. |
For an installation as large as the PCT’s, the hatch supplier, structural engineer, piping designer, marine contractor and owner’s operations team should review the interface drawings together. A hatch that fits its curb but blocks a valve, conflicts with a crane path or cannot be safely opened during an emergency is not a successful access design.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What can construction teams learn from the PCT example?
First, access equipment can have a life-safety and environmental-protection function in addition to a maintenance function. The PCT hatches were not simply covers over a hole; they were part of a strategy for keeping expansion joints reachable while providing a place for containment pans beneath critical fuel lines.
Second, the word “roof hatch” describes a product family, not necessarily the final location. The same basic access concept can be adapted to a trestle or platform when the manufacturer, engineer and installer resolve the structural, corrosion, drainage and operating requirements for that setting.
Third, size changes logistics. A 10-by-20-foot hatch weighing about 2,500 pounds assembled cannot be treated like a small plant-room hatch. Separate leaf shipment, field assembly and lifting coordination should appear in the construction plan and schedule.
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Finally, project status must be dated. The 2022 case study remains valuable for explaining the design and the hatch installation, but its opening forecast and possible $1.8 billion program estimate are historical statements. The 2024 completion, $223.5 million Phase I cost and current open-terminal status come from later Port and Municipality records.
What is the clearest takeaway from this installation?
The Port of Alaska’s PCT shows how a custom access hatch can solve several problems at once: provide a large, maintainable opening, protect a containment system and fit within a seismic marine structure. The unusual trestle location drove the need for custom engineering, while the hatch dimensions and weight drove a separate-shipment and field-assembly plan. The project is now a completed and operating Phase I facility, even though the original case study described it while construction and the wider modernization program were still under way.
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Are the PCT hatches standard 10-by-20-foot products?
No. The 10-by-20-foot dimensions describe three custom hatches made for the project. A commercial manufacturer may be able to engineer a similar opening, but the frame, hardware, loading, material and seals must be designed for each site.
Did the terminal actually open by the end of 2022?
That date was a forecast in the 2022 case study. Later Port and Municipality records state that Phase I was completed in 2024 and that the new Petroleum and Cement Terminal is open.
Is the $1.8 billion figure the cost of the PCT?
No. It was a possible total cost for the broader, five-stage modernization program as described in 2022. The November 2025 official finance document records Phase I, including the PCT, at $223.5 million.
What information should be requested before approving a custom trestle hatch?
Request the clear-opening and load requirements, material and corrosion basis, operating method, drainage and weather-sealing details, fall-protection provisions, shop drawings, calculations, installation instructions and maintenance documentation. Confirm the hatch interface with piping, containment and lifting equipment before fabrication.
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