Alaska Route 2
Encyclopedia
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
via Fairbanks to the Yukon Territory, including the entire length of the Alaska Highway
in the state.
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 Canadian border.
Route 2 is an unsigned part of the Interstate Highway System
east of Fairbanks. The entire length of Interstate A-2 follows Route 2 from the Parks Highway (Interstate A-4) junction in Fairbanks to Tok, east of which Route 2 carries Interstate A-1 off the Tok Cut-Off Highway to the national border. Only a short piece of the Richardson Highway in Fairbanks is built to freeway standards.
The Alaska Highway portion of Route 2 was once proposed to be part of the US Highway System, to be signed as part of U.S. Route 97
.
in western Alaska has been proposed at various times. Such a road had been suggested as early as 1957. 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. This price tag is higher than previously assumed. This has caused hesitation about the project.
The debate is continuing in 2011.
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in the central and east-central portions of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It runs from Manley Hot Springs
Manley Hot Springs, Alaska
Manley Hot Springs is a census-designated place in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, Manley Hot Springs is a [[census-designated place]] in [[Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska|Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area]], [[Alaska]], Manley Hot Springs Manley Hot Springs (Too Naaleł Denh in Koyukon) is a...
via Fairbanks to the Yukon Territory, including the entire length of the Alaska Highway
Alaska Highway
The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...
in the state.
Route description
Route 2 begins at a dead endCul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
near the Tanana River
Tanana River
The Tanana River is a tributary of the Yukon River in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to linguist and anthropologist William Bright, the name is from the Koyukon tene no, tenene, literally "trail river"....
at Manley Hot Springs, where the Elliott Highway
Elliott Highway
The Elliott Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 152 miles from Fox, about 10 miles north of Fairbanks, to Manley Hot Springs...
begins. Until the junction with the Dalton Highway
Dalton Highway
The James W. Dalton Highway, usually Dalton Highway is a 414-mile road in Alaska. It begins at the Elliott Highway, north of Fairbanks, and ends at Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean and the Prudhoe Bay oil fields...
(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
Steese Highway
The Steese Highway is a highway in the Interior region of the U.S. state of Alaska that extends from Fairbanks to Circle, a town on the Yukon River about 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The highway was completed in 1927 and is named for U.S. Army General James G. Steese, a former president...
) at Fox, the Elliott Highway ends and Route 2 follows the Steese Highway south into Fairbanks. The Steese Highway becomes the Richardson Highway
Richardson Highway
The Richardson Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska, running 368 miles from Valdez to Fairbanks. It is marked as Alaska Route 4 from Valdez to Delta Junction and as Alaska Route 2 from there to Fairbanks. It is also connects segments of Alaska Route 1 between the Glenn Highway and the...
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
Alaska Highway
The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...
, 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
Alaska Route 1
Alaska Route 1 is a state highway in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. It runs from Homer northeast and east to Tok by way of Anchorage...
) at Tok and the Taylor Highway
Taylor Highway
The Taylor Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 160 miles from Tetlin, about 11 miles south of Tok on the Alaska Highway, to Eagle....
(Alaska Route 5) just beyond, Route 2 becomes Yukon Highway 1 at the Canadian border.
Route 2 is an unsigned part of the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
east of Fairbanks. The entire length of Interstate A-2 follows Route 2 from the Parks Highway (Interstate A-4) junction in Fairbanks to Tok, east of which Route 2 carries Interstate A-1 off the Tok Cut-Off Highway to the national border. Only a short piece of the Richardson Highway in Fairbanks is built to freeway standards.
The Alaska Highway portion of Route 2 was once proposed to be part of the US Highway System, to be signed as part of U.S. Route 97
U.S. Route 97
U.S. Route 97 is a major north–south United States highway in the western United States. It begins at a junction with Interstate 5 at Weed, California, and travels north, ending in Okanogan County, Washington, at the Canadian Border, across from Osoyoos, British Columbia, becoming British...
.
Major intersections
| Borough | Location | Mile | Road(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unorganized | Manley Hot Springs | 0.00 | Dead end | |
| Livengood | 85.69 | |||
| Fairbanks North Star Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, 82,840 people, 29,777 households, and 20,516 families were residing in the borough. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 33,291 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile... |
Fox | 153.86 | ||
| Fairbanks | 162.94 | Johansen Expressway Johansen Expressway The Johansen Expressway is an approximately 4.5-mile long expressway in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Johansen Expresway serves as a northern bypass to the city, and is notable for being the only highway in Alaska to have exit numbers... |
||
| 164.96 | Airport Way | |||
| 165.75 | South Cushman Street | Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| 165.97 | Interchange | |||
| 167.28 | Lakeview Drive, Old Richardson Highway - Cushman Business Area | Interchange with at-grade intersection At-grade intersection An at-grade intersection is a junction at which two or more transport axes cross at the same level .-Traffic management:With areas of high or fast traffic, an at-grade intersection normally requires a traffic control device such as a stop sign, traffic light or railway signal to manage conflicting... eastbound; no westbound entrance |
||
| 169.93 | Badger Road | Interchange | ||
| North Pole | 177.50 | Badger Road, Santa Claus Lane | Interchange | |
| Unorganized | Delta Junction | 259.28 | ||
| Tok | 366.91 | |||
| Tetlin Junction Tetlin Junction, Alaska Tetlin Junction is an unincorporated community in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. Its elevation is 1,745 feet , along the north bank of the Tanana River. The official spelling of its name has been "Tetlin Junction" since a Board on Geographic Names ruling in 1950... |
379.36 | |||
| International border, Yukon Territory of Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
456.91 | |||
Plans
A 500 mile road reaching NomeNome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
in western Alaska has been proposed at various times. Such a road had been suggested as early as 1957. 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. This price tag is higher than previously assumed. This has caused hesitation about the project.
The debate is continuing in 2011.