At more than 800 river and stream crossings, the pipe bridges the waterway or is buried beneath it. And, at 151 points along the line, valves are installed to sop oil flow, if necessary. In particular, valves are located near key stream crossings, population areas, and major uphill sections of the pipeline.

The first pipe was laid in the Tonsina River, north of Valdez, on March 27, 1975. By the end of 1976, an additional 428 miles of pipeline were in place; miles which included Thompson Pass, a 2,678-foot high obstacle about 25 miles from Valdez

Pipeline employment reached its peak at 21,600 in August of 1975. By May of 1977, all 800 miles had been installed and tested. Oil entered the pipeline at Pump Station One, at Prudhoe Bay, on June 20, 1977, and reached Valdez on July 28. On August 1, 1977, the tanker "ARCO Juneau" sailed out of Valdez with the first load of North Slope crude oil. The historic billionth barrel reached Valdez on January 16, 1980. And, in November of 1997, the 12 billionth barrel of oil reached Valdez.                         HISTORY & FACTS