Editing Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (section)

== Construction ==
{{main|Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System}}
[[Image:Trans Alaska Pipeline Denali fault shift.jpg|thumb|right|The pipeline is on slider supports where it crosses the [[Denali Fault]].]]
[[File:Alyeska pipeline on slide shoes, allows movement in case of earthquakes.jpg|thumb|Alyeska pipeline on slide shoes, allowing movement in case of earthquakes]]
Although the legal right-of-way was cleared by January 1974, cold weather, the need to hire workers, and construction of the [[Dalton Highway]] meant work on the pipeline itself did not begin until March.<ref name="Roscow143">Roscow, p. 143</ref> Between 1974 and July 28, 1977, when the first barrel of oil reached Valdez,<ref name=vcaofo/><ref>Facts, p. 85</ref> tens of thousands of people worked on the pipeline.<ref>Ross, Mike. [http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=6835531 "Tales from Pipeline Camp"], KTUU NBC-2. July 24, 2007. Accessed July 9, 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828065539/http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=6835531 |date=August 28, 2009 }}</ref> Thousands of workers came to Alaska, attracted by the prospect of high-paying jobs at a time when most of the rest of the United States was undergoing a recession.<ref>Cole, pp. 26–27</ref>

Construction workers endured long hours, cold temperatures, and brutal conditions. Difficult terrain, particularly in [[Atigun Pass]], [[Keystone Canyon]], and near the Sagavanirktok River forced workers to come up with solutions for unforeseen problems.<ref>Roscow, p. 170</ref> Faulty welds and accusations of poor quality control caused a Congressional investigation that ultimately revealed little.<ref>Roscow, p. 151</ref><ref>Roscow, p. 167</ref> More than $8 billion was spent to build the {{convert|800|mi|km}} of pipeline, the Valdez Marine Terminal, and 12 pump stations.<ref>Facts, p. 15</ref> The construction effort also had a human toll. Thirty-two Alyeska and contract employees died from causes directly related to construction. That figure does not include [[common carrier]] casualties.<ref>Facts, p. 25</ref>