Alaska Route 2
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Alaska DOT&PF | ||||
| Length | 456.91 mi[1] (735.33 km) | |||
| Component highways |
(1) Alaska Highway between Alcan Border and Delta Junction | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | Dead end in Manley Hot Springs | |||
 Chena Hot Springs Road in Fox     | ||||
| East end |
 | |||
| Location | ||||
| Boroughs | Unorganized, Fairbanks North Star | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Alaska Route 2 is a state highway in the central and east-central portions of the U.S. state of Alaska. It runs from Manley Hot Springs to the International Border, passing through Fairbanks and Delta Junction. Alaska Route 2 includes the entire length of the Alaska Highway in the state, the remainder of the highway being in the Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada.
Route description
Route 2 begins at a dead end near the Tanana River at Manley Hot Springs, where the Elliott Highway begins. Until the junction with the Dalton Highway (Alaska Route 11) at Livengood, Route 2 is a minor road used only for local access; beyond Livengood it carries traffic to and from the Dalton Highway. At the junction with Alaska Route 6 (Steese Highway) at Fox, the Elliott Highway ends and Route 2 follows the Steese Highway south into Fairbanks. The Steese Highway becomes the Richardson Highway at Airport Way, the former route of the Parks Highway (Alaska Route 3). The Parks Highway junction is now about a mile south along the Richardson Highway, which then leaves Fairbanks to the southeast. In Delta Junction, at the northwest end of the Alaska Highway, Route 2 leaves the Richardson Highway for the Alaska Highway, while the Richardson Highway continues south as Alaska Route 4. After passing the ends of the Tok Cut-Off Highway (Alaska Route 1) at Tok and the Taylor Highway (Alaska Route 5) just beyond, Route 2 becomes Yukon Highway 1 at the Canada–US border.[2][3]
History
Proposed U.S. Route 97 designation
| |
|---|---|
| Location | Alaska Highway |
| Existed | proposed, but never designated–present |
The Alaska Highway portion of Route 2 was once proposed to be part of the U.S. Highway System, to be signed as part of U.S. Route 97.
Major intersections
| Borough | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unorganized | Manley Hot Springs | 0.00 | 0.00 | Dead end | In Manley Hot Springs, Tofty Road branches off from the highway and travels about 49 miles (79 km) northwest, before terminating just across the Yukon River from Tanana. Cars can be ferried across, or driven across in the winter. |
| Livengood | 85.69 | 137.90 | | Southern terminus of Alaska Route 11 / Dalton Highway | |
| Fairbanks North Star | Fox | 153.86 | 247.61 | | Western terminus of Alaska Route 6; Route 2 takes on the Steese Highway name |
| Fairbanks | Chena Hot Springs Road | Interchange | |||
| Farmers Loop Road | |||||
| 162.94 | 262.23 | Johansen Expressway west | Eastern terminus of the Johansen Expressway | ||
| 164.96 | 265.48 | Airport Way west | Eastern terminus of Airport Way | ||
| 165.75 | 266.75 | South Cushman Street | Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| 165.97 | 267.10 | | Interchange | ||
| 167.28 | 269.21 | Lakeview Drive, Old Richardson Highway – Cushman Business Area | Interchange with at-grade intersection eastbound; no westbound entrance | ||
| 169.93 | 273.48 | Badger Road | Interchange | ||
| North Pole | 177.50 | 285.66 | Badger Road, Santa Claus Lane | Interchange | |
| Buzby Road / Dawson Road | Interchange | ||||
| Laurance Road | Interchange | ||||
| Salcha | Price Drive | ||||
| Unorganized | Delta Junction | 259.28 | 417.27 | | Northern terminus of Alaska Route 4 |
| Tok | 366.91 | 590.48 | | Northern terminus of Alaska Route 1 | |
| Tetlin Junction | 379.36 | 610.52 |  | Southern terminus of Alaska Route 5 | |
| International border | 456.91 | 735.33 | | Continuation into Yukon | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
Future
A 500-mile (800 km) road reaching Nome in western Alaska has been proposed at various times. Such a road had been suggested as early as 1957.[4] From 2009 onward, there has been a more intense political debate. A detailed cost investigation was funded by the state government, which gave an estimated cost of $2.3 to $2.7 billion, or approximately $5 million per mile.[5][6] This price tag is higher than previously assumed. This has caused hesitation about the project. The debate was continuing in 2011.[7] A 35-mile (56 km) extension to Tanana opened in September 2016, although it has been defined as a local road, not Route 2, as some Tanana residents want to avoid having visitors.[8] As of August 2015, no decisions have been made to start construction of additional sections.
References
Route map:
- 1 2 Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Northern Region General Log, April 25, 2006 (Routes 153000 (Elliott Highway), 152000 (Steese Highway), 190000 (Richardson Highway), and 180000 (Alaska Highway))
- ↑ Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, National Highway System Maps Archived 2009-07-27 at the Wayback Machine., April 2006
- ↑ Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Alaska Traffic Manual Supplement Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine., January 17, 2003
- ↑ Fairbanks Daily News 7/29/1957 – FCC drive for road to Nome, Highway 97, photos Archived September 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Cockerham, Sean (January 27, 2010). "Nome road could cost $2.7 billion". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 2010-01-30. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ↑ "Western Alaska Access Planning Study Corridor Planning Report" (PDF). January 2010.
- ↑ $3 billion road to Nome debated at public hearings
- ↑ Friedman, Sam (August 29, 2016). "New Tanana road is open, but river parking is for locals only". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Retrieved November 6, 2016.