Prince William Sound Ferry Terminals Environmental Assessment

Federal Project # SFHWY00460/461/465 | State Project # 003289/3290, 0851073

MARAD approved the PWS Ferry Terminals EA and FONSI on January 13, 2026.

Project Overview

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), under the direction of the U.S.Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), launched a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) in 2024 for the purposes of updating and rebuilding its ferry terminal dock facilities in the Prince William Sound communities of Chenega, Cordova, and Tatitlek. Improvements to the dock facilities would help meet the safety, service, and transportation needs of these remote communities for years to come.

Prince William Sound is located at the northern end of the Gulf of Alaska, extending over 20,000 square miles composed of roughly half water and half land. Chenega, Cordova, and Tatitlek are remote, and their distance from other communities and lack of road access highlight the need for safe, reliable ferry service.

Proposed improvements to be considered as part of the EA’s development include:

• A new side-loading ferry dock facility in Chenega, including pile-supported approach dock structure, vehicle transfer bridge, bridge support float, and two mooring dolphins; and
• A new side-loading ferry dock berth in Cordova; and
• A retrofitted end-loading ferry dock terminal in Tatitlek, including vehicle transfer bridge and bridge support float (or lift bridge support) to replace the existing tidal ramp facility.

The EA process informs project development by determining the significance of potential environmental effects of a proposed federal action, resulting in either a determination to prepare an environmental impact statement or a finding of no significant impact.

This project is partly funded by a MARAD Port Infrastructure Development Program discretionary grant to the Prince William Sound Economic Development District.

DOT&PF prepared an environmental document for proposed improvements to ferry terminal dock facilities in three Prince William Sound communities: Chenega, Cordova, and Tatitlek. These updates, which vary by location, are necessary to maintain critical ferry service to these communities as older ferries are removed from service and replaced by new Alaska Class Ferries (ACFs).

Purpose & Need

These projects would make improvements to the Chenega, Cordova, and Tatitlek ferry terminals to accommodate the new Alaska Class Ferry (ACF) berthing and home port needs to support continued reliable Alaska Marine Highway ferry service into the future.

The existing Chenega and Tatitlek ferry terminal facilities are fixed platform docks that will only accommodate vessels with attached vehicle ramps (M/V Aurora), which are aging out of service. The ACF will require a vehicle transfer system to be installed at the facility in order to operate at this port.

The existing Cordova ferry terminal facility includes a side berth and stern berth for AMHS ferry vessels. The terminal requires modification to the mooring dolphins to better accommodate the newly built ACF vessel’s (M/V Hubbard) mooring line system.

Anticipated Schedule

Project History

The ferry infrastructure in each community varies, as do the proposed improvements.

The existing Chenega and Tatitlek ferry terminal/dock facilities have fixed-platform docks that only accommodate vessels with attached vehicle ramps; the motor vessel (M/V) Aurora, built in 1977, is the only vessel currently able to serve these facilities. The state’s transition to ACFs would require the installation of vehicle transfer systems to operate at these ports.

The Tatitlek ferry terminal/dock facility has a multipurpose dock structure originally constructed in 1995. Improvements in Tatitlek would include the provision of new end-load structure, including a vehicle transfer bridge and lift towers to support the float, at the location of the existing tidal ramp.

The Chenega dock and tidal ramps were originally constructed in 1995. Improvements in Chenega would include a new side-berth dock to accommodate the ACF and LeConte class vessels. Improvements would also include a new side-loading dock structure, including a pile-supported approach, vehicle transfer bridge, bridge support float, and two mooring dolphins.

Cordova’s original ferry dock facility was constructed in 1964 and reconstructed in 2006. The existing Cordova ferry dock includes both side and stern berths for Alaska Marine Highway System ferry vessels. The dock requires mooring dolphin modifications to better accommodate the newly built ACF vessel’s (M/V Hubbard) mooring line system.