Alaska Highway
Length:	2237 km[1] (1390 mi)
Formed:	1942[1]
South end:	Dawson Creek, BC
North end:	Delta Junction, AK
Major cities:	Fort St. John, BC, Fort Nelson, BC, Watson Lake, YT, Whitehorse, YT, Tok
System:	Alaska State Routes Yukon Territorial Highways British Columbia Provincial Highways

The Alaska Highway (also known as the Alaskan Highway, Alaska-Canadian Highway, or ALCAN Highway) was constructed during World War II and connects the Continental U. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The City of Dawson Creek is a small city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Delta Junction is a city in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. Fort Nelson is a town of approximately 5000 residents in British Columbia 's northeastern corner Watson Lake is a Town at historical mile 635 on the Alaska Highway in the southeastern Yukon close to the British Columbia border Whitehorse (ˈʍaɪthɔrs ( 2006 population 20461 CA population 22898 (formerly White Horse until 1957 - 03-21) is the Tok ( is a Census-designated place (CDP in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. Alaska Routes are both numbered and named There have been only twelve numbers issued (1&mdash11 and 98 and the numbering often has no obvious pattern for example Alaska Route This is a list of Provincial highways with numbers under 100 in the Canadian territory of Yukon. This article lists all existing numbered highways in British Columbia, Canada. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including S. to Alaska through Canada. It runs from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon. The City of Dawson Creek is a small city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Delta Junction is a city in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. Whitehorse (ˈʍaɪthɔrs ( 2006 population 20461 CA population 22898 (formerly White Horse until 1957 - 03-21) is the Yukon (ˈjuːkɒn is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three territories. Completed in 1943, it is 2,237 kilometres or 1,390 miles long. To help compare different Orders of magnitude this page lists Lengths starting at 106 m (1 Mm or 1000 km) A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The historic end of the highway is near milepost 1422, where it meets the Richardson Highway in Delta Junction, Alaska, about 160 km (100 mi) southeast of Fairbanks. See also Alaska Route 1, Alaska Route 2 The Richardson Highway is a highway in the U Delta Junction is a city in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. Mileposts on the Richardson Highway are numbered from Valdez, Alaska. Valdez ( is a city in Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the US state of Alaska. The Alaska Highway is popularly (but unofficially) considered part of the Pan-American Highway, which extends south to Argentina. The Pan-American Highway (see below for its name in other Western European languages is a network of Roads nearly 48000 kilometres (29800 miles in For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics.

Contents 1 Construction 2 Route 3 Post war 4 Route markings 5 Adjoining roads 5.1 Bypassed road segments still in use 6 See also 7 External links 8 References

Construction

Proposals for a highway to Alaska originated in the 1920s. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada Donald MacDonald dreamed of an international highway spanning the United States, Canada and Russia. In order to promote the highway, Slim Williams originally traveled the proposed route by dog sled. Clyde "Slim" Williams (born c 1882 date of death unknown was a promoter of the Alaska Highway in 1930's Since much of the route would pass through Canada, support from the Canadian government was crucial. However, the Canadian government perceived no value in putting up the required funds to build the road, since the only part of Canada that would benefit was not more than a few thousand people in the Yukon.

However, some route consideration was given. The preferred route would pass through the Rocky Mountain trench from Prince George, British Columbia to Dawson City before turning west to Fairbanks, Alaska. Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. Prince George, with a population of 70981 ( census agglomeration of 83225 is the largest city in northern British Columbia Fairbanks (ˈfɛrbæŋks is a Home Rule City in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States.

The attack on Pearl Harbor and beginning of the Pacific Theatre in World War II, coupled with Japanese threats to the west coast of North America and the Aleutian Islands, changed the priorities for both nations. The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by The Pacific War was the part of World War II —and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands and in East Asia, between World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Aleutian Islands (possibly from Chukchi aliat, " Island " are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming a Volcanic On February 6, 1942 the construction of the Alaska Highway was approved by the United States Army and the project received the authorization from the U. S. Congress and President Roosevelt to proceed five days later. Canada agreed to allow construction as long as the United States bore the full cost, and that the road and other facilities in Canada be turned over to Canadian authority after the war ended.

The official start of construction took place on March 8, 1942 after hundreds of pieces of construction equipment were moved on priority trains by the Northern Alberta Railways to the northeastern part of British Columbia near Mile 0 at Dawson Creek. The Northern Alberta Railways ( AAR Reporting mark: NAR was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern Construction accelerated through the spring as the winter weather faded away and crews were able to work from both the northern and southern ends; they were spurred on after reports of the Japanese invasion of Kiska Island and Attu Island in the Aleutians. Kiska ( Qisxa in Aleut) is an Island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at. Attu ( Atan in Aleut) is the westernmost and largest Island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of On September 24, 1942 crews from both directions met at Mile 588 at Contact Creek and the highway was dedicated on November 20, 1942 at Soldiers Summit.

The needs of war dictated the final route, intended to link the airfields of the Northwest Staging Route that conveyed lend-lease aircraft from the United States to the Soviet Union. The Northwest Staging Route was a series of Airstrips Airports and radio ranging stations built in British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Thus, the rather impractical, long route over extremely difficult terrain was chosen.

The road was originally built mostly by the US Army as a supply route during World War II. A road is an identifiable route, way or path between two or more places. The United States Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE) is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34600 Civilian and 650 Military personnel World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including There were four main thrusts in building the route: southeast from Delta Junction, Alaska toward a linkup at Beaver Creek, Yukon; north then west from Dawson Creek (an advance group started from Fort Nelson, British Columbia after traveling on winter roads on frozen marshland from railway stations on the Northern Alberta Railways); both east and west from Whitehorse after being ferried in via the White Pass and Yukon Route railway. Delta Junction is a city in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. Fort Nelson is a town of approximately 5000 residents in British Columbia 's northeastern corner The Northern Alberta Railways ( AAR Reporting mark: NAR was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern Whitehorse (ˈʍaɪthɔrs ( 2006 population 20461 CA population 22898 (formerly White Horse until 1957 - 03-21) is the The White Pass and Yukon Route ( WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U The U. S. Army commandeered equipment of all kinds, including local riverboats, railway locomotives, and housing originally meant for use in southern California. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.

Although it was completed on October 28, 1942 and its completion was celebrated at Soldier's Summit on November 21 (and broadcast by radio, the exact outdoor temperature censored due to wartime concerns), the "highway" was not usable by general vehicles until 1943. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Even then, there were many steep grades, a poor surface, switchbacks to gain and descend hills, and few or no guardrails. Bridges, which progressed during 1942 from pontoon bridges to temporary log bridges, were replaced with steel bridges where necessary only. A bridge is a Structure built to span a Gorge, Valley, Road, railroad track, River, Body of water A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a Bridge that floats on water supported by barge-or-boat-like pontoons to support the bridge deck and its dynamic A One old log bridge can still be seen at the Aishihik river crossing. The Aishihik River, also know as Canyon Creek, is a river in the Yukon Territory of Canada. The easing of the Japanese invasion threat resulted in no more contracts being given to private contractors for upgrading of specific sections.

In particular, some 100 miles of route between Burwash Landing and Koidern, Yukon, became virtually impassable in May and June of 1943, as the permafrost melted, no longer protected by a layer of delicate vegetation. Burwash Landing is a small community at historical mile 1093 on the Alaska Highway, in the Yukon, Canada along the southern shore of Kluane Lake Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This article is about frozen ground For other meanings see Permafrost (disambiguation. A corduroy road was built to restore the route, and corduroy still underlays old sections of highway in the area. A Corduroy road or log road is a type of Road made by placing Sand -covered Logs Perpendicular to the direction of the road over a low Modern construction methods do not allow the permafrost to melt, either by building a gravel berm on top or replacing the vegetation and soil immediately with gravel. Gravel is rock that is of a specific Particle size range In Geology, gravel is any loose rock that is larger than two millimeters (2mm A berm is a level space shelf or raised barrier separating two areas However, the Burwash-Koidern section is still a problem, as the new highway built there in the late 1990s continues to experience frost heave.

Route

The pioneer road completed in 1942 was approximately 1,680 miles from Dawson Creek to Delta Junction. The army then turned the road over to the Public Roads Administration of Washington, which then began putting out section contracts to private road contractors to upgrade selected sections of the road. The Federal Highway Administration ( FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in Highway transportation These sections were upgraded, with removal of excess bends and steep grades; often, a traveler could identify upgraded sections by seeing the telephone line along the PRA-approved route alignment. When the Japanese invasion threat eased, the PRA stopped putting out new contracts. Upon hand-off to Canada in 1946, the route was 1,422 miles from Dawson Creek to Delta Junction.

The route follows a northwest then northward course from Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson. On October 16, 1957, a suspension bridge crossing the Peace River just south of Fort St. This article is concerned with a particular type of suspension bridge the suspended-deck type John collapsed. A new bridge was built a few years later. At Fort Nelson, the road turns west and crosses the Rocky Mountains, before resuming a westward course at Coal River. The highway crossed the Yukon-BC border nine times from Mile 590 to Mile 773, six of those crossings were from Mile 590 to Mile 596. After passing the south end of Kluane Lake, the highway follows a north-northwest course to the Alaska border, then northwest to the terminus at Delta Junction.

Postwar rebuilding has not shifted the highway more than ten miles from the original alignment, and in most cases, by less than three miles. It is not clear if it still crosses the Yukon-BC border six times from Mile 590 to Mile 596.

Post war

The original agreement between Canada and the United States regarding construction of the highway stipulated that its Canadian portion be turned over to Canada six months after the end of the war;^[2] this took place on April 1, 1946 when the US Army transferred control of the road through the Yukon and British Columbia to the Canadian Army, Northwest Highway System. The Alaskan section was completely paved during the 1960s; largely gravel even in 1981, the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway is now completely paved, mostly with bituminous surface treatment.

The Milepost, an extensive guide book to the Alaska Highway and other highways in Alaska and Northwest Canada, was first published in 1949 and continues to be published annually as the foremost guide to travelling the highway. The MILEPOST is an extensive Guide book covering Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and British Columbia. A Book is a set or collection of written printed illustrated or blank sheets made of Paper, Parchment, or other material usually fastened together Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. An annual publication, more often called simply an annual, is a book or a Magazine, Comic book or Comic strip published yearly * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Before adding any more images to this * * page please do carefully consider * * whether they would be mere decoration * * or actually improve

The British Columbia government owns the first 82. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C 6 miles of the highway, the only portion paved during the late 1960s and 1970s. Public Works Canada manages the highway from Mile 82. Public Works and Government Services Canada, also referred to as Department of Public Works and Government Services, is the department of the government of Canada 6 (km 133) to Historic Mile 630. The Yukon government owns the highway from Historic Mile 630 to Historic Mile 1016 (from near Watson Lake to Haines Junction), and manages the remainder to the U.S. border at Historic Mile 1221. Watson Lake is a Town at historical mile 635 on the Alaska Highway in the southeastern Yukon close to the British Columbia border Haines Junction is a village in the Yukon, Canada. It is located at Kilometre 1632 (historical mile 1016 of the Alaska Highway at its junction with the The Canada – United States border is the international Border between Canada and the United States. The State of Alaska owns the highway within that state (Mile 1221 to Mile 1422).

Extensive rerouting in Canada has shortened the highway by approximately 35 miles (55 km) since 1947, mostly by eliminating winding sections and sometimes by bypassing residential areas. Therefore, the historic milepost markings are no longer accurate but are still important locally as location references. Some old sections of the highway are still in use as local roads, while others are left to deteriorate and still others are ploughed up. Four sections form local residential streets in Whitehorse (3. . . see map) and Fort Nelson (1), and others form country residential roadways outside of Whitehorse. Although Champagne, Yukon was bypassed in 2002, the old highway is still completely in service for that community until a new direct access road is built. Champagne is a small community on the Alaska Highway (historical mile 968 between Whitehorse and Haines Junction in Canada 's Yukon.

Rerouting continues, expected to continue in the Yukon through 2009, with the Haines Junction-Beaver Creek section covered by the Canada-U. S. Shakwak Agreement. The Shakwak Agreement, also known as the Shakwak Project, is a highway construction funding accord between the United States and Canada, reached in The new Donjek River bridge was opened 26 September 2007, replacing a 1952 bridge. Under Shakwak, U. S. federal highway money is spent for work done by Canadian contractors who win tenders issued by the Yukon government. The Shakwak Project completed the Haines Highway upgrades in the 1980s between Haines Junction and the Alaska Panhandle, then funding was stalled by Congress for several years. The Shakwak Agreement, also known as the Shakwak Project, is a highway construction funding accord between the United States and Canada, reached in See also Alaska Route 7 The Haines Highway or Haines Cut-Off (and still often called the Haines "Road" is a Highway that connects The Alaska Panhandle, sometimes referred to as Southeast Alaska, is the southeastern portion of the U

The Milepost shows the Canadian section of the highway now to be approximately 1187 miles, but the first milepost inside Alaska is 1222. The actual length of the highway inside Alaska is no longer clear because rerouting, as in Canada, has shortened the route, but unlike Canada, mileposts in Alaska are not recalibrated. The B. C. and Yukon governments and Public Works Canada have recalibrated kilometreposts only as far as a point just at the southeast shore of Kluane Lake, with the latest BC recalibration in 1990 and the only Yukon recalibrations in 2002 and 2005 (based on the distance value where the BC calibration of 1990 left off).

There are historical mileposts along the B. C. and Yukon sections of the highway, installed in 1992, that note 83 specific locations, although the posts no longer represent accurate driving distance.

The portion of the Alaska Highway in Alaska is Alaska Route 2. Alaska Route 2 is a State highway in the central and east-central portions of the U In the Yukon, it is Highway 1 and in British Columbia, Highway 97. Yukon (ˈjuːkɒn is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three territories. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Highway 97 is the longest continuously-numbered route in the Canadian province of British Columbia, running 2081 km (1283 mi from the Canada/

For people interested in learning more about the history of the Alaska Highway there are several books on its construction, including "Alcan Trail Blazers: Alaska Highway's Forgotten Heroes. "

Route markings

The Canadian section of the road was delineated with mileposts, based on the road as it was in 1947, until 1978, and over the years, reconstruction steadily shortened the distance between some of those mileposts. That year, metric signs were placed on the highway, and the mileposts were replaced with kilometre posts at the approximate locations of a historic mileage of equal value, e. g. Kmpost 1000 was posted approximately where historical Mile 621 would have been posted.

Reconstruction continues to shorten the highway, but the kilometre posts, at two-km intervals, were recalibrated along the B. C. section of road in 1990 to reflect then-current driving distance. The section of highway covered by the 1990 recalibration has since been rendered shorter by further realignments, such as near Summit Pass and between Muncho Lake and Iron Creek.

Based on where those values left off, new Yukon kilometre posts were erected in fall 2002 between the B. C. border and the west end of the new bypass around Champagne, Yukon; in 2005, additional recalibrated posts continued from there to the east shore of Kluane Lake near Silver City. Champagne is a small community on the Alaska Highway (historical mile 968 between Whitehorse and Haines Junction in Canada 's Yukon. Old kilometre posts, based on the historic miles, remain on the highway from that point around Kluane Lake to the Alaska border. The B. C. and Yukon sections also have a small number of historic mileposts, printed on oval-shaped signs, at locations of historic significance; these special signs were erected in 1992 on the occasion of the highway's 50th anniversary. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar)

The Alaska portion of the highway is still marked by mileposts at one-mile intervals, although they no longer represent accurate driving distance, due to reconstruction.

The historic mileposts are still used by residents and businesses along the highway to refer to their location, and in some cases are also used as postal addresses.

Residents and travellers, and the government of the Yukon, do not use "east" and "west" to refer to direction of travel on the Yukon section, even though this is the predominant bearing of the Yukon portion of the highway; "north" and "south" are used, referring to the south (Dawson Creek) and north (Delta Junction) termini of the highway. This is an important consideration for travellers who may otherwise be confused, particularly when a westbound travel routes southwestward or even due south to circumvent a natural obstacle such as Kluane Lake.

Some B. C. sections west of Fort Nelson also route more east-to-west, with southwest bearings in some section; again, "north" is used in preference to "west".

Adjoining roads

Other roads that join the Alaska Highway include, from South to North:

• British Columbia
  • Hudson's Hope Highway
  • Liard Highway
  • Cassiar Highway

(the Cassiar highway is mostly within B. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Highway 29, known locally as Don Philips Way, is a shortcut route from the John Hart Highway to the Alaska Highway. The Liard Highway, numbered Highway 77 in British Columbia and Highway 7 in the Northwest Territories, is a Highway in Canada Highway 37, known as the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, is the northwesternmost highway in the province and it is very scenic passing through some of the most isolated areas C. , joining the Alaska Hwy one mile inside the Yukon)

• Yukon
  • Campbell Highway
  • Canol Road
  • Atlin Road
  • Tagish Road
  • Klondike Highway
  • Haines Highway

• Alaska
  • Taylor Highway
  • Glenn Highway (Tok Cut-Off)
  • Richardson Highway

Bypassed road segments still in use

Fort Nelson - Mile 301 to 308, now local residential feeder roads Wildflower Drive, Highland Road, Valleyview Drive

Whitehorse

• Mile 898, now local residential road just west of Yukon River Bridge
• Mile 920. 3 to 922. 5, now the southern and northern portions of Centennial Street; middle portion is Birch Street
• Mile 922. 5 to 922. 7, now a portion of Azure Road
• Mile 924, now a portion of Cousins Airfield Road
• Mile 925. 5 to 926. 9, now Parent Road (east end overlooks Alaska Highway/Klondike Highway junction)
• Mile 927. 2 to 927. 7, now Echo Valley Road
• Mile 928 to 928. 3, now Jackson Road
• Mile 929 to 934, now Old Alaska Highway
• Mile 968, now entrance road to Mendenhall River Subdivision

Champagne-Aishihik traditional territory

• Mile 969 to 981, Champagne loop (bypassed in fall 2002 by 8. 6 mile revision)
• Mile 1016, Hume Street in Haines Junction including access to First Nation subdivision

Other former segments have deteriorated and are no longer usable. More recent construction projects have deliberately ploughed up roadway to close it.

See also

• List of Alaska Routes
• Numbered highways in Canada
• List of Yukon territorial highways
• Kolyma Highway
• Pan-American Highway

External links

• Alaska Highway — A Yukon perspective — From the Yukon Archives
• Alaska Highway Driving Facts — From the authors of the Milepost
• Bell's Alaska — mile by mile description of the Alaska Highway
• Building the Alaska Highway — Companion Website for the PBS program. Alaska Routes are both numbered and named There have been only twelve numbers issued (1&mdash11 and 98 and the numbering often has no obvious pattern for example Alaska Route Highways in Canada are split into at least four different types of systems This is a list of Provincial highways with numbers under 100 in the Canadian territory of Yukon. The M56 Kolyma Highway (Федеральная автомобильная дорога «Колыма» "Federal Automobile Highway 'Kolyma'" also known as the Road of The Pan-American Highway (see below for its name in other Western European languages is a network of Roads nearly 48000 kilometres (29800 miles in The MILEPOST is an extensive Guide book covering Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and British Columbia.
• Trans-Global Highway and the AmerAsian Friendship Tunnel
• History of the Alaska Highway — From the authors of the Milepost
• Alcan-Highway.com — US Army 95th Engineer Regiment (Colored) building the Alcan Highway

References

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