Alaska Routes are both numbered and named. There have been only twelve state highway numbers issued (1 through 11 and 98), and the numbering often has no obvious pattern. For example, Alaska Route 4 (AK-4) runs north and south, whereas AK-2 runs largely east and west, but runs north and south passing through and to the north of Fairbanks. The Klondike Highway, built in 1978, was unnumbered until 1998, when it was given its designation during the centennial of the Klondike Gold Rush. However, many Alaskan highways of greater length than the Klondike Highway remain unnumbered.

AK-1 shieldAK-2 shieldAK-11 shieldAK-98 shield
Shields used for Alaska Routes
Highway names
InterstatesInterstate A-n (A-n) (unsigned)
StateAlaska Route n (AK-n) or Route n
System links

Mileposts, frequently used for road markers and official addressing in rural areas, are also more commonly reckoned by landmark names.

Within Alaska, roads are almost invariably referred to by name or general destination, and not by number(s).[citation needed]

Numbered routes often span multiple highway names. For example, AK-1 can refer to any of the Glenn Highway, Seward Highway, Sterling Highway, or Tok Cut-Off; meanwhile, portions of the Seward Highway are numbered AK-1, AK-9 and Interstate A3 (A-3).

Highways

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U.S. Highways

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The Alaskan portion of the Alaska Highway was proposed to be designated part of U.S. Highway 97 (US-97), but this was never carried out. Certain prior editions of USGS topographic maps, mostly published during the 1950s, do bear the US-97 highway shield along or near portions of the current AK-2.[1]

Alaska numbered highways

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Number Length (mi) Length (km) Southern or western terminus Northern or eastern terminus Local names Formed Removed Notes
  AK-1 545.92 878.57 Marine Highway in Homer AK-2 (Alaska Highway) in Tok Sterling Highway, Seward Highway, Glenn Highway, Richardson Highway, Tok Cut-Off
  AK-2 456.91 735.33 Dead end in Manley Hot Springs Hwy 1 near Whitehorse, YT Elliott Highway, Steese Highway, Richardson Highway, Alaska Highway
  AK-3 323 520 AK-1 (Glenn Highway) in Gateway AK-2 (Richardson Highway) in Fairbanks George Parks Highway 01971-01-011971 current
  AK-4 266 428 Marine Highway in Valdez AK-2 (Alaska Highway) in Delta Junction Richardson Highway
  AK-5 109 175 AK-2 (Alaska Highway) in Tetlin Junction Hwy 9 (Top of the World Highway) at Canadian Border Taylor Highway, Top of the World Highway Formerly continued north to end of Taylor Highway at Eagle. [2]
  AK-6 161 259 AK-2 (Elliot Highway) in Fox River Road in Circle Steese Highway
  AK-7 150.0 241.4 Dead end in Ketchikan Haines Highway at near Pleasant Camp, BC Tongass Highway, Mitkof Highway, Glacier Highway, Egan Drive, Haines Highway Segments in Juneau, Petersburg, and Ketchikan, connected by the Marine Highway
  AK-8 135 217 AK-3 (George Parks Highway) in Cantwell AK-4 (Richardson Highway) in Paxson Denali Highway
  AK-9 36.49 58.72 Railway Avenue in Seward AK-1 (Sterling Highway) at Tern Lake junction Seward Highway
  AK-10 49.5 79.7 AK-4 (Richardson Highway) in Copper Center Chitina Edgerton Highway
  AK-10 83.5 134.4 Marine Highway in Cordova Dead end in McCarthy Copper River Highway, McCarthy Road
  AK-11 414 666 AK-2 Elliott Highway in Livengood East Lake Colleen Drive in Deadhorse Dalton Highway 01978-01-011978 current
  AK-98 13.4 21.6 Marine Highway in Skagway Hwy 2 near Fraser, BC Klondike Highway 01998-01-011998 current

Alaska named highways

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Highways listed below are not signed as numbered state routes.

Number Length (mi) Length (km) Southern or western terminus Northern or eastern terminus Formed Removed Notes
Alaska Peninsula Highway Naknek King Salmon
Chena Hot Springs Road Old Steese Highway north of Fairbanks Chena Hot Springs
Douglas Highway Douglas Island Douglas Island
Hope Highway 17.861 28.744 AK-1 (Seward Highway) near Hope Porcupine Campgrounds in Hope 01928-01-01c. 1928 current Forest Highway 14 inside Chugach National Forest
Johansen Expressway 4.2 6.8 University Avenue in College AK-2 (Steese Expressway) in Fairbanks Only highway in Alaska to have exit numbers
Kenai Spur Highway 38.787 62.422 AK-1 (Sterling Highway) in Soldotna Bay Beach Road in Nikiski 01951-01-01c. 1951 current On the Kenai Peninsula
Minnesota Drive Expressway 7.560 12.167 Old Seward Highway in Anchorage West 15th Avenue in Anchorage 01950-01-01c. 1950 current
Nome–Council Highway 71.970 115.824 Nome Bypass Road / Front Street in Nome Dead end at Niukluk River in Council 01906-01-011906 current
Nome–Taylor Highway Nome Taylor
Nome–Teller Highway 72 116 Nome Teller Also called the Bob Blodgett Highway
Palmer–Wasilla Highway Palmer Wasilla
Portage Glacier Highway 11.59 18.65 AK-1 (Seward Highway) in Portage Marine Highway in Whittier 02000-01-012000 current
Salmon River Road 11.710 18.845 Wharf near Canada–United States border in Hyder, Alaska Canada–United States border near Premier, British Columbia (Granduc Road) Known as NFD 88 Road inside Tongass National Forest
Taylor Highway 64 103 AK-5 (Top of the World Highway) near Jack Wade Front Street in Eagle Formerly part of AK-5.
Zimovia Highway 14 23 Wrangell McCormick Creek Road in Wrangell

Marine Highway system

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The Alaska Marine Highway and several other Alaska highways or routes are recognized as "highways" eligible for federal funding by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).[3] The Marine Highway was declared a National Scenic Byway by the FHWA on June 13, 2002;[4] and later declared an All-American Road on September 22, 2005.[5]

The system is divided into different regions of service: Southeast, Cross-Gulf, Prince William Sound, South-Central, and Southwest.[6][7][8]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "History". Highway 97 in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, & California. Summit Solutions Ltd. 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ "Title 23 Section 218 United States Code" (PDF). U.S. Congress.
  4. ^ "New 2002 National Scenic Byways". Federal Highway Administration.
  5. ^ "New 2005 All-American Roads". Federal Highway Administration.
  6. ^ "AMHS Routes". Alaska Marine Highway System.
  7. ^ "AMHS Running Times". Alaska Marine Highway System.
  8. ^ "AMHS Schedules". Alaska Marine Highway System.
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