Driving in Alaska

Driving in Alaska is just like anywhere else as long as you take into account the seven months of ice and snow on the roads.

Speaking of roads, I was comparing a chart between the Urban Roads in estimated lane-miles between Alaska and Rhode Island:  3951 to 10,086.

Of course, Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union and Alaska is the biggest in landmass.  Ten thousand to three thousand would be fair if it were Alaska that had the ten thousand.

A large portion of the state of Alaska is totally inaccessible by car.  When you need transportation in these areas, you have these choices:

• airplane
• snowmobile
• dog team
• cross-country skiis
• hiking shoes

Take your pick.

As for the 3,951 lane miles of Alaska urban roads, I'll share a few experiences with you.

Alaska Highways

From Fairbanks, we have three roads out of town. The George Parks Highway heads south to Anchorage and passes by Denali Park.

The Richardson Highway heads southeast towards the Canadian border with branches to the Glenn Highway, Anchorage, and Canada on its way to Valdez.

The Steese Highway heads north past Livengood and meets up with the Dalton Highway to Deadhorse. Circle Hot Springs, Chena and Manley Hot Springs branch off the Steese.

The Alaska Highway, or Alcan, starts in Canada at Dawson Creek, British Columbia. The Alaska Highway officially ends at Delta Junction or Fairbanks, depending on whom you ask.

Highway Links

Alaska Road Traveler Information includes an Alaska map
Seasonal Road Condition Report
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
Weight Restrictions
Alaska Highway Road Conditions
Driving the Alaska Highway

Our family drove to Alaska in 1961 from Texas to Anchorage. My Dad drove our Dodge pulling a boat behind it. The road was dusty and gravel. The noise was unrelenting. When a truck would pass, you couldn't see anything until the dust settled again.

My parents slept in the boat and the kids slept in the car. We ate burned hot dogs with powdered milk to drink.

Last summer my parents drove up again in their motorhome. This time the whole Alaska Highway was paved. However, there are always areas under constructions. In my opinion, June is the best month for driving the Alcan.

In the motorhome, my parents slept in a queen-size bed and had hot meals, a shower, and even a freezer for ice cream.

Fairbanks Roads

When I first moved here, Airport Way was a gravel road. Now it's a limited access four-lane traffic artery.

College Road was a curvy, shoulderless, unlighted way to get from one side of Fairbanks to the University of Alaska.

Now we have Johansen and Mitchell Expressways that allow 50-mph travel from one side of the city to the other.

Even with the upgrade in roads, however, we still have a time driving in Alaska.

For instance, as spring is upon us, we have load limits. When the ground thaws the streets and highways are vulnerable to damage. To reduce potholes and cracks, each vehicle is limited from fifty to seventy-five per cent their maximum load.

When the temperature falls below zero, an inversion level keeps fog near the ground. Vehicle exhausts hang in the air long after the car has driven down the road. The power plant cooling pond and roadside sloughs add to the vapor in the air. We call this ice fog. Sometimes it is so thick you can't tell where you are. If you squint, you can barely make out the taillights of the car ahead of you.

The radio disk jockey announces carbon monoxide emission alerts for downtown. School buses drive slower, and people leave earlier for work so they can drive cautiously through the ice fog.

Spring is here now, however. The snow is almost gone. Daylight stretches more than twelve hours. If we have a morning fog, it burns off before noon.

Watch Out!

One caution for year-round driving, watch out for the wild life. You never know when there will be a critter around that next curve.