Alaska Route 2

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This article is about the section of the Alaska Highway in Alaska. For the entire route, see Alaska Highway. For the Interstate Highway route, see Interstate A-2.

Alaska Route 2 marker

Alaska Route 2
Richardson Highway
Alaska Highway
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Route 2 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Alaska DOT&PF
Length: 456.91 mi[1] (735.33 km)
Component
highways:		 <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Major junctions
West end: Tanana River in Manley Hot Springs
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East end: Hwy 1 south (Alaska Highway) towards Whitehorse, YT
Location
Boroughs: Unorganized, Fairbanks North Star
Highway system
← AK-1 AK-3 x20px →
File:Route 2, Delta Junction.jpg
Route 2, Delta Junction

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 Canada-United States 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

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Main article: Alaska Highway § Proposed U.S. Route 97 designation
U.S. Route 97
Location: Alaska Highway
History: Proposed, but never designated

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. This proposal was initiated after British Columbia renumbered a series of highways to British Columbia Highway 97 between the U.S. border at U.S. 97's northern terminus south of Osoyoos, and the border with the Yukon territory south of Watson Lake. The proposal was withdrawn after the Yukon declined to also renumber its portion of the Alaska Highway to '97', which would have then formed a continuous '97' designation from contiguous U.S. and through Canada to Alaska.[4]

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 AK-11 north (Dalton Highway) Southern terminus of Alaska Route 11 / Dalton Highway
Fairbanks North Star Fox 153.86 247.61 AK-6 east (Steese Highway) 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 AK-3 south (Parks Highway) – Nenana, Denali Park 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 AK-4 south (Richardson Highway) Northern terminus of Alaska Route 4
Tok 366.91 590.48 AK-1 west (Tok Cut-Off Highway) – Glennallen, Anchorage Northern terminus of Alaska Route 1
Tetlin Junction 379.36 610.52 AK-5 north (Taylor Highway) Southern terminus of Alaska Route 5
International border 456.91 735.33 Hwy 1 east (Alaska Highway) 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 as an extension of U.S. Route 97.[5][6] From 2009 onward, there has been a more intense political debate. A detailed cost investigation was funded by the state government, which in 2010 gave an estimated cost of $2.3 to $2.7 billion, or approximately $5 million per mile.[7][8] This price tag was higher than previously assumed and caused hesitation about the project.[9] A 35-mile (56 km) extension to Tanana opened in September 2016, although it has been defined as a local road, not Route 2, allowing a cost reduced more simple road.[10] As of August 2015, no decisions have been made to start construction of additional sections.

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Northern Region General Log[permanent dead link], April 25, 2006 (Routes 153000 (Elliott Highway), 152000 (Steese Highway), 190000 (Richardson Highway), and 180000 (Alaska Highway))
  2. ↑ Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, National Highway System Maps Archived 2009-07-27 at the Wayback Machine, April 2006
  3. ↑ Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Alaska Traffic Manual Supplement Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, January 17, 2003
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Fairbanks Daily News 7/29/1957 – FCC drive for road to Nome, Highway 97, photos Archived September 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[permanent dead link]
  9. ↑ $3 billion road to Nome debated at public hearings[dead link]
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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