# Alaska Route 2

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–United States border.

## History
### Proposed U.S. Route 97 designation

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 Canada–United States 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 The proposal was withdrawn after the Yukon declined to also renumber its portion of the Alaska Highway to '97', which would have then formed a continuous '97' designation from contiguous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.

## Major intersections

| Borough | Location | mi | 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. |
| Unorganized | 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 North Star | Fairbanks | | | Chena Hot Springs Road | Interchange |
| Fairbanks North Star | Fairbanks | | | Farmers Loop Road | |
| Fairbanks North Star | Fairbanks | 162.94 | 262.23 | Johansen Expressway west | Eastern terminus of the Johansen Expressway |
| Fairbanks North Star | Fairbanks | 164.96 | 265.48 | Airport Way west | Eastern terminus of Airport Way |
| Fairbanks North Star | Fairbanks | 165.75 | 266.75 | South Cushman Street | Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| Fairbanks North Star | Fairbanks | 165.97 | 267.10 | AK-3 south (Parks Highway) – Nenana, Denali Park | Interchange |
| Fairbanks North Star | Fairbanks | 167.28 | 269.21 | Lakeview Drive, Old Richardson Highway – Cushman Business Area | Interchange with at-grade intersection eastbound; no westbound entrance |
| Fairbanks North Star | Fairbanks | 169.93 | 273.48 | Badger Road | Interchange |
| Fairbanks North Star | North Pole | 177.50 | 285.66 | Badger Road, Santa Claus Lane | Interchange |
| Fairbanks North Star | North Pole | | | Buzby Road / Dawson Road | Interchange |
| Fairbanks North Star | North Pole | | | Laurance Road | Interchange |
| Fairbanks North Star | Salcha | | | Price Drive | |
| Unorganized | Delta Junction | 259.28 | 417.27 | AK-4 south (Richardson Highway) | Northern terminus of Alaska Route 4; northern terminus of the Alaska Highway |
| Unorganized | Tok | 366.91 | 590.48 | AK-1 west (Tok Cut-Off Highway) – Glennallen, Anchorage | Northern terminus of Alaska Route 1 |
| Unorganized | Tetlin Junction | 379.36 | 610.52 | AK-5 north (Taylor Highway) | Southern terminus of Alaska Route 5 |
| Unorganized | 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 Incomplete access ||||||

## 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. 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. This price tag was higher than previously assumed and caused hesitation about the project. 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. As of August 2015, no decisions have been made to start construction of additional sections.