The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-04-19
ARC Steps Up 1851 Program On Road Work.

By the end of 1851, the Alaska Road Commission will have con- pleted one of its most extensive road programs in the history of its Alaska operations, Col. John R. Moves, commissioner, said today.
 A program of undermining Alas ka roads was begun in l949 but with the national emergency, the 1851 operations have been stepped up in many areas to meet the needs of national defense.
 Hard surfacing, reconstruction and improvement, replacement of bridges and eliminating of driving hazards have high priority on the ARC program.
 Glenn Richardson Hwys.
 At the end of the 1850 construct ion season the first 90 miles of the Glenn Highway extending eastward from Anchorage had been hard surfaced. The entire remaining portion of the highway to Mile l89 at Glennallen is now under con- tract for completion by the end of the working season of 1851, and, in addition, the Richardson High way is also under contract for hard surfacing from Big Timber, at the junction with the Tok Cut off, southward to the vicinity of Tonsina River, a distance of al- most 50 miles. By the end of 1851 it will be practicable to drive on a hard surfaced road from Anch- orage over 200 miles in the direc- tion of Valdez.
 The first 37 miles of the Rich ardson Highway nearest Valdez and the first 45 miles of the Tok Cutoff will be under reconstruc- ton, preparatory to hard surfac- ing, during 1851.
 2O5 Miles Hard Surface
 From Fairbanks, at the end of 1850, the hard surfacing was com- pleted for the first 95 miles of the Richardson Highway to Big Delta Junction. Eastward from Big Delta on the Alaska Highway. 45 miles to the Johnson River is now under contract and the next 65 miles from Johnson River to Tok is already hard surfaced. Upon the comple- tion of the present contract it will be possible to drive 205 miles on hard surfaced roads all the way from Fairbanks to Tok.
 The entire road between Anchor age and Seward will be actively under construction or reconstruc- ton and by the end of the season is expected to be open and con- nected by means of existing roads with Kenai, Homer, Hope, and Sunrise.
 AkC-BPk COOpescteS
 All of the work of hall surfacing of roads in Alaska, and the con- structicu of tie Sewar,l-Anchor- age Highway, is being performed comparatively by the Alaska Road Commission and the Bureau of Public Roads.
 During the summer of 1851 it is anticipated that the new road extending from the Alaska High way 1t Teilin Junction, near Tok, to Ea le, and Dawson will be com pleted in passahle condition all the way to Eagle.
 Work will be continued upon the new road to connect Mir. McKin- ley National Park with the main Alaska road system.
 It is proposed to continue the usual maintenance of the Nome road system. These roads include the Nome Council Road which was completed in 1850, the Seward Peninsula Tram Road, extending 80 miles northward from Nome, and its extension the Bunker Hill-Tay- Tor Road serving the miners of the Kougarok.
 Maintain Side Roads
 Local roads at Deering, Takotna, Dillingham;, Iliamna, Talkeetna, Colorado, Ferry, Ruby. Manley Hot Springs, Rampant, Wiseman, and many other isolated localities will be given annual maintenance, and, where possible, improved.
 At Naknek, Kodiak, and Haines, roads will be built in some cases utilizing funds of the Department of National Defense, in the con- struction of which the Alaska Road Commission will participate as a consultant.