Port of Anchorage Tidal Hydraulics Physical Model

The Port of Anchorage is undergoing a large expansion, and the Alaska District of Corps of Engineers needed to assess how this expansion and the construction phasing might impact the Corps' dredging and navigation missons. One of the tools used to assess Port expansion impacts was a large, geometrically-distorted physical model constructed at the Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The spring tide cycle was simulated in the model, and the model was validated by reasonable reproduction of field-measured velocities at three locations near the Port. Flow velocities were measured in 26 model tests that included the pre-expansion configuration, three expansion phases, and the completed expansion. Velocity comparisons indicated potential shoaling problems during Port expansion, and flow visualization illustrated expected tidal flow changes at the Port.