Roll Call Alaska 2014
Anyone traveling to Alaska in 2014? We ,my wife and I, are planning a trip and was wondering if anyone is planning on going in 2014 also. Would go this year, except we have two weddings to go to in...
Forum Discussion
Regarding the northern end of the Alaska Highway in Canada (Haines Junction to the border) did you know that under a 1977 agreement, funding responsibilities to reconstruct and improve the highway lies with the United States and ongoing maintenance is delivered by Yukon.
The US has historically funded these improvements because this highway link is the only year-round connection between Alaska and the North American road system. The US also funded the upgrades to all of the Haines Road. The Haines Road and the northern end of the Alaska Highway are a critical corridor for civil security, economic growth and energy development, with Americans accounting for 85 per cent of its traffic.
The US wanted that infamously rough AK Hwy section paved. Previous to being paved it was possible to grade the highway smooth each year or after bad weather affected it. It wasn't so bad back then. Beaver Creek is my home town so I'm very familiar with its highway!
Each spring that portion of highway is battered with the semi-trucks hauling to Alaska. The freeze/thaw effect, and then the heavy loads, cause the highway to break down. The section between the Donjek River and Beaver Creek is mostly permafrost and muskeg, making it even more vulnerable to heaving.
In 2012 the US government removed funding for the AK Hwy from its federal highways act funding. So there have been no major upgrades to it for two years. Thus, it is in about the worst shape I've seen it.
Further, to stabilize and pave the 145 miles from Destruction Bay to the border will cost about $100 MILLION, almost $700,000 per mile!
There's no easy answer. So...plan for it, take your time, enjoy looking at the little sticks of spruce trees that are struggling to grow in the harsh conditions and watch for moose.
The US has historically funded these improvements because this highway link is the only year-round connection between Alaska and the North American road system. The US also funded the upgrades to all of the Haines Road. The Haines Road and the northern end of the Alaska Highway are a critical corridor for civil security, economic growth and energy development, with Americans accounting for 85 per cent of its traffic.
The US wanted that infamously rough AK Hwy section paved. Previous to being paved it was possible to grade the highway smooth each year or after bad weather affected it. It wasn't so bad back then. Beaver Creek is my home town so I'm very familiar with its highway!
Each spring that portion of highway is battered with the semi-trucks hauling to Alaska. The freeze/thaw effect, and then the heavy loads, cause the highway to break down. The section between the Donjek River and Beaver Creek is mostly permafrost and muskeg, making it even more vulnerable to heaving.
In 2012 the US government removed funding for the AK Hwy from its federal highways act funding. So there have been no major upgrades to it for two years. Thus, it is in about the worst shape I've seen it.
Further, to stabilize and pave the 145 miles from Destruction Bay to the border will cost about $100 MILLION, almost $700,000 per mile!
There's no easy answer. So...plan for it, take your time, enjoy looking at the little sticks of spruce trees that are struggling to grow in the harsh conditions and watch for moose.
