The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1950-12-30
SUMMARY SHOWS
GREAT STRIDES IN
ARC ROAD WORK

A summary OF the work accomp-
lished by the Alaska Road Com
mission during the past year as
compiled by Road Commissioner
Col. John r. Moves shows the inn
mense strides made in undermining
and extending the road system of
Alaska in 1850. The work included
hard surfacing the main highway
system, eliminating hazards to mo-
torists, and building new roads 20
serve new settlers, old residents and
entire communities.
Road To Haincs
A goal of the future is the i'm
provement and hard surfacing OF
the Alaska Highway through Can
ada to the border of southeast
Alaska. Haines, the southeast Alas
ka terminus of the latter road is
separated, like Valdez from the in
terror by a formidable mountain
pass. 1t is hoped that the Canadian
Government will take steps to keep
this pass open in winter and that
Canada will provide funds for i'm
proving this road and the ALASKA
Highway to the same standards as
the modernized Alaskan roads. A
new road, the Hart Highway, con-
Meeting the Alaska Highway at
Dawson Greek with Vancouver and
Seattle is scheduled for compile
ton in 1851.
AS soon as the Haines High
| way to southeast Alaska has been
opened year round, it is hoped
to install a car ferry service for
automobiles and trucks. connecting
it with the principal cities of south
eastern Alaska-Skagway, Juneau,
Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketcha-
kan, and possibly extended to
Prince Rupert and Puget Sound.
Blacktop Surface
There are now an aggregate OF
800 miles "blacktopped" in the in
terror. One short stretch is the
Haines Highway in southeastern
Alaska.
In addition the paving now on
the ground, all the remainder OF
the Glenn Highway. the greater
part of the Richardson Highway
and the greater part of the Alaska
Highway within Alaska have al
ready been placed under contract
for hard surfacing and this work
will be completed during the sum-
mers of 1851 and 1852.
New ROadways
Local gravel roads around Fair
banks, Anchorage, Palmer, Kenai,
Homer and Haines, totalling over
200 miles, have been built to serve
settlers.
An important new road to con-
meet Anchorage with the south
coast port of Seward is under con-
struction and is expected to be
completed at the end of the work.
ing season of 1851.
The new Sterling Highway, ex-
tending lao miles on the Kenai
Peninsula from the Seward-An-
chorage Highway, was completed in
September, 1850.
Another new road was commenc-
ed in 1850 to connect the Rich
ardson Highway with Mt. Nc
Kinley National Park. This road,
about 160 miles long, will connect
with the road system already con-
structed within the Park, about
IS miles long, extending beyond
its western boundary to Kantishna.
Completion Of the new road into
the Park is tentatively scheduled
for 1858.
Extend System
A new road extending from the
Alaska Highway toward Eagle was
connected in the fall of 1850 with
a Canadian road extending to the
city of Dawson. Next season it is
hoped to complete this Forty Mile
Highway to Eagle, bringing this
well known mining camp into the
roadways' system.
An important new operation OF
the Alaska Road Commission is the
maintenance Of Thompson Pass
on the Richardson Highway open
throughout the year.
Proposed roads for which no
funds have yet been appropriated
include road from Cordova to
connect with the Richardson High
way a road from Fairbanks to Ne
mana, road from Livengood to
Eureka and Manley Hot Springs, a
road from the Richardson Highway
by way Of Chitina to the mineraliz-
ri