Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System The construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System included over of oil pipeline, 12 pump stations, and a new tanker port. Built largely on permafrost during 1975–77 between Prudhoe Bay and Valdez, Alaska, the $8 billion effort required tens of thousands of people, often working in extreme temperatures and conditions; the invention of specialized construction techniques; and the construction of a new road, the Dalton Highway. The first section of pipe was laid in 1975 after more than five years of legal and political arguments. Allegations of faulty welds drew intense scrutiny from local and
Central Europe Pipeline System out against a part of the pipeline in Southern-Germany by Red Army Faction sympathisers. At the end of the Cold War the system was significantly reduced as various military airports that used the system were closed, such as Bitburg Air Base and Soesterberg Air Base. However, in some other places expansion of the pipeline continued and in October 2008 construction of of additional pipeline was completed between Aalen and Leipheim. Since 1959, excess capacity of the pipeline may be used by civilian users. Currently, around 90% of the fuel transported through the system is for civilian users, customers including various