The ALCAN Highway

For all those folks travelling to northern North America this season. 

You can't get to Alaska, USA without travelling through Canada first ... unless you fly or ferry the Inside Passage from British Columbia to Alaska.

I've noted recently, in a number of social media groups that I am a member of, that ... there seems to be some confusion surrounding the history, of the building of the ALCAN Highway.

For all you history buffs and to provide travel clarification, here's some information ...

In Canada, many oldtimers and locals still refer to this highway as the ALCAN, not the Alaska Highway.

Currently, the ALCAN (Alaska Highway) runs 2232 km (1387 mi) from it's beginning at ... Mile 0 Dawson Creek, British Columbia, CANADA to it's ending at Delta Junction, Alaska, USA.

START

END

Built by 16,000 Canadian and American civilians and 11,000 soldiers from the US Army Corp of Engineers. 

Canada provided the right of way and on 3 April 1946 took over the 1954 km portion of the road from Dawson Creek, BC to the Alaska border. The US invested $147.8 million in the project for men, materials and equipment. Canada paid the US $108 million to cover airfields and flight strips, buildings, telephone systems and other assets.

From the Canadian Encyclopedia ...

" ... Alaska Highway, constructed 1942-43 from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Fairbanks, Alaska. In the face of a serious threat of a Japanese invasion, a preliminary road was rammed through forest wilderness and 5 mountain ranges in only 8 months. Called the Alcan Military Highway, it ran 2333 km from Dawson Creek to Big Delta, Alaska. Groups of US Army engineers working from several starting points built up to 13 km a day. The following year it became a permanent, all-weather, gravel-surfaced road, 7 to 8 m wide, 2451 km long, from Dawson Creek, BC, to Fairbanks, Alaska - the result of the labour of 11 000 soldiers and some 16 000 Canadian and American civilians. Along it were 133 bridges 6 m or longer and several thousand culverts. The US invested $147.8 million in the project for men, materials and equipment. Canada provided the right of way and on 3 April 1946 took over the 1954-km portion of the road from Dawson Creek to the Alaska border. Canada paid the US $108 million to cover airfields and flight strips, buildings, telephone systems and other assets ... "

Enjoy the drive!

Crusty ... know the  history !