Alaska Highway

Alaska Highway, road, connecting Dawson Creek, British Columbia, with Delta Junction, Alaska. Formerly called the Alcan and the Alaskan International Highway, it is 2,288 km (1,422 mi) long and runs in a generally northwestern direction. Begun shortly after the U.S. entered World War II, it was to provide an overland military supply route and to link airfields in Canada and Alaska. From March to November 1942 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractors under the Public Roads Administration (now the Federal Highway Administration) constructed a pioneer trail. The following year an improved road, mostly on new alignment, was completed, in the main by private contractors. The Canadian section was turned over to Canada in 1946, and in 1948 the entire route was opened to civilian traffic. Today most of the 1,964-km (1,220-mi) section in Canada is surfaced with chip seal or paved, while all of the Alaskan section is paved. The highway is open all year, with roadside services available along the entire route, although on a limited basis in winter.