Elliott Highway

The Elliott Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 152 miles (245 km) from Fox, about 10 miles (16 km) north of Fairbanks, to Manley Hot Springs. It was completed in 1959 and is part of Alaska Route 2.

This article is about Alaska Route 2 between Fairbanks and Manley Hot Springs. For the entire route, see Alaska Route 2.

Elliott Highway
Elliott Highway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Alaska DOT&PF
Length152 mi (245 km)
Major junctions
West endManley Hot Springs Road in Manley Hot Springs
  AK-11 (Dalton Highway) in Livengood
East end AK-2 / AK-6 (Steese Highway) in Fox
Highway system
Elliot Highway

Route description

The highway is paved and in generally good condition year-round between Fairbanks and the junction with the Dalton Highway, but reverts to an unpaved road for the final 80 miles (130 km) to Manley Hot Springs. This portion of the road, particularly in winter, can be very challenging to navigate due to overflow of ice and water on the road, high-wind areas, and drifting snow. There is no cellular telephone service available on the Elliott Highway, though there is fuel available in Minto, and traffic, particularly past the Dalton Highway cutoff, can be extremely sparse. Travelers are advised to check road conditions before traveling this road through the state transportation hotline at . Travelers should always carry emergency supplies and fuel enough for 400 miles (640 km) when driving this highway.

Near Manley Hot Springs there is a 50-mile side road to Tanana over Tofty. This road was built 2014-2016 for a cost of $13 million.[1][2] The road ends on the south side of the Yukon River, so a boat trip or an ice road is also needed to reach Tanana.[3][4]

Minto is also served by a side road off the main highway called Old Minto Road. The Dalton Highway begins 73 miles (118 km) north of Fox at its junction with the Elliott Highway.

Future

A 500-mile (800 km) road project (Manley Hot Springs–Nome) is being discussed in Alaska. It has been estimated (in 2010) to cost $2.3–2.7 billion, or approximately $5 million per mile.[5][6]

The road to Nome has received hesitation because of the cost. Former governor Sean Parnell wanted, as a beginning, to build a road from Manley Hot Springs to Tanana, around 35 miles length, and a detailed study was being made during 2012[7] The road to Tanana was opened in 2016, and at the end is the Yukon River. The last 12 miles is private property, and belongs to the village corporation Tozitna Limited. The parking lot by the river is for residents, shareholders and tribal members only. During winters an ice road is made on the river ice, enabling road access for a few months; weather depending.[8] Any continuation would require a fairly expensive bridge to be built. A ferry is an option also, but then the river would be impassable when the ice is too weak for driving but too thick for a ferry.

See also

Junction list
Main article: Alaska Route 2 § Major intersections

See the article on Alaska Route 2 for an updated major intersections list.

References

KML is from Wikidata
  1. Alaska starts work on road to Tanana
  2. Weather delays completion of road to Tanana until summer 2016
  3. Weather delays completion of road to Tanana until summer 2016
  4. Driving Alaska's new road to Tanana
  5. COCKERHAM, SEAN (January 27, 2010). "Nome road could cost $2.7 billion". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  6. "WESTERN ALASKA ACCESS PLANNING STUDY CORRIDOR PLANNING REPORT" (PDF). January 2010.
  7. Study Aims To Determine Feasibility Of Tanana Road To Fairbanks
  8. Ice Road to Tanana Unique method to transport cargo
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