Out the road (Juneau)
Encyclopedia
Out the road is a colloquial term for a region of the City and Borough of Juneau
, capital of the U.S. state
of Alaska
, extending from Auke Bay north to a point roughly 45 miles (72 km) from downtown Juneau to where "The Road" dead ends at Echo Cove, a natural harbor with a boat ramp, parking lot, and several camping areas. Juneau is accessible only by boat or plane. Out the road is by far the largest percentage of land area of Juneau, but very sparsely populated; in spring 1998, the Juneau Economic Development Council put its population at 1,348.
Residents of this region get much better weather than the rest of Juneau, with more sunny days. However, it still rains more than half the year. Houses in the area are usually expensive, many selling in the $500,000 to $1,000,000 range. For most of its length there are no city services, requiring generators, septic tanks, and alternative water sources.
"The Road" is referred to without a name by residents of Juneau out of habit, stemming from confusion as to its actual name. There are two versions officially recorded: Old Glacier Highway is the name of the root road, and at one point was the name for the entire length. The state government then dubbed the section from Auke Bay to Echo Cove the Veterans Memorial Highway. This name is used by the State, while the City and Borough has retained the name Old Glacier Highway, and continues to publish materials using that name. Interestingly, Google Maps alternates between the names Veterans Memorial Highway and Glacier Highway throughout its length.
In 2005, construction started on a seven-mile extension to the road, the first phase of a proposal to increase access to Kensington Mine
, which lies approximately 13 miles north of the 'End of the Road'. It is slated to become operational in late 2007.
Plans in the past have called for the Lynn Canal Highway
to continue north from the end of the road to Cascade Point
.
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
, capital 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...
, extending from Auke Bay north to a point roughly 45 miles (72 km) from downtown Juneau to where "The Road" dead ends at Echo Cove, a natural harbor with a boat ramp, parking lot, and several camping areas. Juneau is accessible only by boat or plane. Out the road is by far the largest percentage of land area of Juneau, but very sparsely populated; in spring 1998, the Juneau Economic Development Council put its population at 1,348.
Residents of this region get much better weather than the rest of Juneau, with more sunny days. However, it still rains more than half the year. Houses in the area are usually expensive, many selling in the $500,000 to $1,000,000 range. For most of its length there are no city services, requiring generators, septic tanks, and alternative water sources.
"The Road" is referred to without a name by residents of Juneau out of habit, stemming from confusion as to its actual name. There are two versions officially recorded: Old Glacier Highway is the name of the root road, and at one point was the name for the entire length. The state government then dubbed the section from Auke Bay to Echo Cove the Veterans Memorial Highway. This name is used by the State, while the City and Borough has retained the name Old Glacier Highway, and continues to publish materials using that name. Interestingly, Google Maps alternates between the names Veterans Memorial Highway and Glacier Highway throughout its length.
In 2005, construction started on a seven-mile extension to the road, the first phase of a proposal to increase access to Kensington Mine
Kensington mine
Kensington mine is a gold mine located north of Juneau, Alaska. The mine is owned by Coeur Alaska Inc., a subsidiary company of Coeur d'Alene Mines....
, which lies approximately 13 miles north of the 'End of the Road'. It is slated to become operational in late 2007.
Plans in the past have called for the Lynn Canal Highway
Lynn Canal Highway
The Lynn Canal Highway, or Juneau Access Road, is a proposed road between Skagway and City and Borough of Juneau, the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska....
to continue north from the end of the road to Cascade Point
Cascade point
A Cascade point is a projectile point associated with the Cascade phase, an ancient culture of Native Americans that settled in the Pacific Northwest that existed from 9000 or 10000 BC until about 5500 BC....
.