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Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

Alaska DOT&PF is the state agency that builds and maintains highways, airports, harbors and ferries statewide. It oversees road construction, airport operations, harbor facilities and the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry service as part of the State of Alaska.

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Week of Sep 21

Anchorage airport passenger traffic grows 9% as Fairbanks holds steady, state report says

Anchorage's airport saw about 9% more travelers in the first half of 2026, and more cargo too. Fairbanks held steady right where it was last year.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Anchorage airport passenger traffic grows 9% as Fairbanks holds steady, state report says

Whittier Tunnel to close Saturday for USS Ted Stevens commissioning; guests must ride bus or train

The Navy is commissioning a destroyer in Whittier on Saturday, and the tunnel's closed to cars. Guests ride buses from Anchorage. The train's already full.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Whittier Tunnel to close Saturday for USS Ted Stevens commissioning; guests must ride bus or train

FAA awards $19.6 million to replace worn-out lighting and signs at Haines Airport

Haines Airport's runway lights, taxiway signs and beacon have all reached the end of their useful life, per the FAA, which is sending $19.6 million to fix that.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom
Cover image for article: FAA awards $19.6 million to replace worn-out lighting and signs at Haines Airport

Big Lake's trail groomers are asking the state for a snowmachine

The volunteers who groom 40 miles of Big Lake trail want a new snowmachine. Last time they asked the state for $35,000 and got about a third.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Big Lake's trail groomers are asking the state for a snowmachine

State's draft road plan puts about $551 million into Kenai Peninsula projects; comments due Oct. 29

The state's draft road plan pours over half a billion dollars into Kenai Peninsula roads, mostly the Sterling Highway. Speak now: comments close Oct. 29.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min readFrom
Cover image for article: State's draft road plan puts about $551 million into Kenai Peninsula projects; comments due Oct. 29

Prince William Sound faces a winter without ferry service as the Aurora is overhauled

Prince William Sound faces a winter with little or no ferry service while the 1977-built Aurora is overhauled. New docks are the fix, and they're years away.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Prince William Sound faces a winter without ferry service as the Aurora is overhauled

Lawmakers press state on Safer Seward Highway project's size and funding as DOT reopens comment

Lawmakers pressed DOT on the Safer Seward Highway's size and funding. DOT pointed to open houses, new data online and 30 more days of public comment.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Seward, Alaska
Cover image for article: Lawmakers press state on Safer Seward Highway project's size and funding as DOT reopens comment

Federal grant of $310,307 funds condition survey of Alaska's ferry fleet

Alaska is paying $310,000 to survey a ferry fleet whose flagship turns 62 this year. The bid to replace it came in $49 million over budget.

Melinda Communities.Newsby Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Federal grant of $310,307 funds condition survey of Alaska's ferry fleet

Alaska will spend up to $250,000 studying a ferry terminal in Hyder

Alaska wants to study a ferry terminal for a town of 41 people. The reason is Canada: Hyder's road runs south through B.C., and Prince Rupert may not last.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Southeast Alaska
Cover image for article: Alaska will spend up to $250,000 studying a ferry terminal in Hyder

Wasilla commissioner asks if city should pause commercial development

A Wasilla commissioner floated halting commercial development over road funding. The chair noted commerce is what pays the city's share of road projects.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Wasilla commissioner asks if city should pause commercial development

Left lane closed on O'Malley Road northbound until 4 p.m. Tuesday

One northbound lane of O'Malley Road is closed until 4 pm Tuesday for guardrail and fence repair. The road itself stays open the whole time.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Left lane closed on O'Malley Road northbound until 4 p.m. Tuesday

Homer's tsunami evacuation route is being raised and widened

The road Homer would use to get people off the Spit ahead of a tsunami is being raised and widened, with $1.17 million obligated toward it so far.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Homer's tsunami evacuation route is being raised and widened

Alaska's $7.74 billion transportation plan is open for public comment

Alaska's four-year, $7.74 billion transportation plan is open for comment until Oct. 29 — and the draft itself says that total isn't complete.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska's $7.74 billion transportation plan is open for public comment

Flaggers still at Richardson Highway MP 210 as rock blasting wraps up

Crews blasted the last of an unstable rock outcrop off the Richardson Highway at Milepost 210, a year after the state flagged it. Traffic is still controlled.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Richardson Highway between Valdez and Fairbanks, Alaska
Cover image for article: Flaggers still at Richardson Highway MP 210 as rock blasting wraps up

Week of Sep 14

The Dalton closes completely Tuesday morning for culvert work

The Dalton Highway shuts down completely Tuesday morning for about five hours, and there is no detour around the only road to the North Slope.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Dalton Highway, Alaska1
Cover image for article: The Dalton closes completely Tuesday morning for culvert work

Ninth Circuit lets King Cove road work continue while appeal runs into November

Construction continues on the first 2.8 miles of the King Cove to Cold Bay road after a federal appeals court denied a motion to halt the work.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Ninth Circuit lets King Cove road work continue while appeal runs into November

About Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

Photo by Paxson Woelber, via Flickr · Photo source · CC BY 2.0

dot.alaska.gov ↗Alaska

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) is the State of Alaska agency that builds and maintains highways, airports, harbors and ferries. It runs the Alaska Marine Highway System and oversees road construction and rural airports across the state.

The department schedules highway closures and construction, leases airport land, and draws federal highway and aviation grants for projects from Nome to Haines. It puts a statewide transportation plan out for public comment and sources rock and gravel from state pits.

Its plans meet scrutiny from local planners, as when Anchorage disputes the grant figures in a draft. Road and ferry links for remote communities, such as the King Cove road and a ferry to Unalaska, raise recurring questions, and federal highway money helps pay to operate the Whittier tunnel.

More from Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

Draft Southeast plan omits Juneau-Skagway road, comment closes Oct. 19

The road from Juneau to Skagway has been argued about for twenty years. The state's new plan for Southeast does not mention it even one time.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Southeast Alaska
Cover image for article: Draft Southeast plan omits Juneau-Skagway road, comment closes Oct. 19

Seward Highway and Tudor Road interchange design study goes to Anchorage hearing Nov. 2

The state wants to rebuild the Seward Highway interchange at Tudor Road. It goes to a public hearing Nov. 2, with most of the funding still unbuilt.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Seward Highway and Tudor Road interchange design study goes to Anchorage hearing Nov. 2

Cordova's winter ferry hope hinges on a Whittier dock question

Cordova Mayor Kristin Smith plans to meet with Alaska's transportation commissioner Tuesday to discuss winter ferry service and road safety issues.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Cordova's winter ferry hope hinges on a Whittier dock question

Van Horn Road is closed at University Avenue with no detour posted

an Horn Road is closed at University Avenue in Fairbanks for paving, with no detour and no reopening time. The state's alert can't decide which road is shut.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Van Horn Road is closed at University Avenue with no detour posted

Rezanof Drive closes nightly in downtown Kodiak through September

Rezanof Drive closes nightly through the end of September in downtown Kodiak, and the state hasn't said what construction the closure is for.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Rezanof Drive closes nightly in downtown Kodiak through September

Four miles of Skagway's only road out have no money in the state's plan

Four miles of Skagway's only road out carry no money in Alaska's draft transportation plan. The stages on either side of them carry $78 million.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Four miles of Skagway's only road out have no money in the state's plan

Students wait for the bus on the shoulder of Rabbit Creek Road

Kids wait for school buses on the shoulder of Rabbit Creek Road, where traffic runs 52 in a 45. The state is studying whether to build them a path.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom
Cover image for article: Students wait for the bus on the shoulder of Rabbit Creek Road

Alaska put $5.63 billion in road and ferry plans out for comment

Alaska put $5.63 billion in road, bridge and ferry plans out for public comment through Oct. 29. It scheduled no public meetings on any of it.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska put $5.63 billion in road and ferry plans out for comment

Fire at Whittier's new cruise terminal forces ships from the dock

A fire at Whittier's new cruise terminal Monday forced a tour boat and a cruise ship off the dock and closed the only road into town for hours. No one was hurt.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Fire at Whittier's new cruise terminal forces ships from the dock

South Anchorage council asks state and city for interim school-route safety projects

Fifteen pedestrians were killed on Alaska roads last year, the highest rate in a decade. One Anchorage council is asking for whatever can be done fast.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom
Cover image for article: South Anchorage council asks state and city for interim school-route safety projects

Repairs begin on the Nome-Council Highway, four years after Merbok

Permanent repairs have begun on the Nome-Council Highway, four years after Typhoon Merbok breached the road in 2022.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Repairs begin on the Nome-Council Highway, four years after Merbok

Week of Sep 7

Unalaska wants the state to look at a ferry from Cold Bay during pollock season

Unalaska wants the state to look at running a ferry from Cold Bay during pollock season. The ferry system is short on boats and the dock has pile damage.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom
Cover image for article: Unalaska wants the state to look at a ferry from Cold Bay during pollock season

Downtown Wasilla would go one-way under an $83 million state program

Downtown Wasilla would go one-way under an $83 million state program. The construction contract is estimated at $50 million to $60 million.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Downtown Wasilla would go one-way under an $83 million state program

Left lane closed at mile 117 of New Seward Hwy until about 4 p.m.

Left northbound lane of New Seward Highway at mile 117 is closed until about 4 p.m. Saturday after a minor incident.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage, Alaska
Cover image for article: Left lane closed at mile 117 of New Seward Hwy until about 4 p.m.

Flooding closes state vocational rehabilitation office in downtown Fairbanks

Flooding closed the state Department of Labor office in downtown Fairbanks on Friday, Sept. 11, halting walk-in service for vocational rehabilitation and disability employment support.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Flooding closes state vocational rehabilitation office in downtown Fairbanks

Anchorage keeps funding a $5 million median barrier on 5th Avenue

An Anchorage committee kept funding a $5 million median barrier on 5th Avenue, over an objection that the decade-old crash data doesn't justify it.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Anchorage keeps funding a $5 million median barrier on 5th Avenue

Haines Highway paving means 20-minute waits through Sunday

Paving on the Haines Highway means waits up to 20 minutes through Sunday, and Klukwan drivers have to change entrances partway through Saturday.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Haines Highway, Alaska
Cover image for article: Haines Highway paving means 20-minute waits through Sunday

Skagway Ferry Terminal Set to Reopen After 26-Day Closure

Skagway's ferry terminal reopens today after a 26-day closure caused by cracked concrete and deteriorated anchor chains, forcing vehicle traffic through Canada during peak season.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Skagway Ferry Terminal Set to Reopen After 26-Day Closure

A Fairbanks entrance is closed while crews build a year-round bike path

An entrance to South University Avenue is closed through Monday while Fairbanks builds a 1.8-mile bike and pedestrian path designed for year-round use.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A Fairbanks entrance is closed while crews build a year-round bike path

Federal record rates Ketchikan's Water Street viaduct 'Poor'

The Water Street viaduct in downtown Ketchikan, carrying 14,000 vehicles a day, is rated poor, but the state is funding only repairs, not replacement.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom
Cover image for article: Federal record rates Ketchikan's Water Street viaduct 'Poor'

The public dock at King Salmon Airport would stay open five more years

The public boat and floatplane dock at King Salmon Airport would stay open under the Bristol Bay Borough for another five years under a state extension.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: The public dock at King Salmon Airport would stay open five more years

State proposes 55-year Adak Airport lease, competing bids due Oct. 8

Alaska wants to lease airport land at Adak, a remote island now drawing military and space interest, for 55 years — one of the longest terms it allows.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: State proposes 55-year Adak Airport lease, competing bids due Oct. 8

Week of Aug 31

Ekwok's airport would host FAA weather and navigation equipment for 20 years, with comments due Sept. 11

Ekwok's airport would host FAA weather and navigation equipment for 20 years at no cost to the state, with public comments due Sept. 11.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Ekwok's airport would host FAA weather and navigation equipment for 20 years, with comments due Sept. 11

West Tudor Road down a lane each way through Sunday for asphalt patching

West Tudor Road near Cambridge Way loses a left lane each way through Sunday for asphalt patching — the latest closure on a road with bigger safety problems.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: West Tudor Road down a lane each way through Sunday for asphalt patching