King Cove road gets $18M construction funding in state STIP amendment

$18 million in construction funding for the King Cove to Cold Bay Road is now open for public comment after Alaska DOT&PF placed the money into the state transportation improvement program Thursday. The funding appears in STIP Amendment #6, released July 2, and comments are due by August 2, 2026.

King Cove residents, most of them Aleut community members, have sought the road for more than 30 years as an emergency evacuation route to Cold Bay's all-weather airport. The amendment contains nine targeted project changes to the state's 2024-2027 strategic transportation investments; all other projects remain unchanged from Amendment #2. Beyond the King Cove road, the amendment advances the Sterling Highway Safety Corridor and adds federal grant funds to the Johnson River Bridge replacement.

The amendment is numbered #6 rather than #3 because Amendments #3, #4, and #5 are currently pending FHWA and FTA approval to incorporate Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Improvement Program amendments, including the Fairbanks Area Surface Transportation TIP and two AMATS TIPs, into the statewide program.

DOT&PF Commissioner Ryan Anderson said the amendment "aims to provide major projects on the Sterling and Richardson Highways the funding needed to advertise for construction contracting in the coming months to keep Alaska's construction season moving."

Public comments are open through August 2, 2026. The full amendment is available at the DOT&PF STIP website and the STIP Amendment #6 interactive website, which includes interactive maps, data summaries, and detailed project information. Submissions are accepted by email at [email protected], by voicemail at 1-855-925-2801 using PIN 2191, by text message at the same number (type "STIP" to start), by TTY through Alaska Relay at 711 or 1-800-770-8973, or by mail to the STIP Team, 550 W. Seventh Avenue, Suite 295, Anchorage, Alaska 99501.