Transportation
RSSAlaska News covers transportation issues including highway maintenance, transit planning, road closures, and infrastructure projects affecting Alaska.
Landslide on Canadian side closes Klondike Highway at the border
A landslide on the Canadian side closed the Klondike Highway at the U.S.-Canada border Tuesday evening, cutting Skagway's road link to the Yukon during peak summer travel season.

Anchorage airport noise study weighs which measures to recommend; public comment Aug. 25
Anchorage residents under the flight paths can comment Aug. 25 as the airport noise study picks what fixes to recommend, from flight-path changes to a jet ban.

Collision closes northbound Richardson Highway at Milepost 352, detour via Badger Road
Big crash road closed

Lower Barracks Street closes Wednesday morning for Sitka crosswalk painting
Lower Barracks Street closes Wednesday morning from 8 a.m. to noon for volunteers to paint crosswalk art as part of Sitka's pedestrian safety project.

Cordova faces a thin ferry winter with four vessels in overhaul
Cordova, with no road out, faces a thin ferry winter as four Alaska Marine Highway vessels go into overhaul, one of them out for most of the season.

Juneau's paratransit service for seniors has failed riders for nine months
A 96-year-old left at Foodland, 25 calls for one trip: Juneau's paratransit for seniors has failed nine months, the commission says — and the city renewed it.

King Cove road materials arrive on scene as local workers hit another milestone in the development of a contested project
A barge of equipment for the long-disputed King Cove-Cold Bay Road has reached King Cove, though the fight over the route through Izembek refuge continues.

Potter Drive designs test Anchorage guidance on in-street bike lanes
Anchorage planners will review four design options for Potter Drive that would add its first sidewalks and bike lanes, though two conflict with a city plan recommending a separated bikeway.

Sitka's Coast Guard cutter dock clears review; work set for 2026
Sitka's Coast Guard cutter dock cleared its environmental review, with waterfront construction set to run from 2026 to 2028.

The 5th and 6th avenue rebuild just hit $370 million — and even planners are flagging "scope creep"
Anchorage's 5th and 6th avenue rebuild just hit $370 million with no clear way to pay for it — and even the city's planners are flagging scope creep.

Sitka Harbor Office closes at noon Friday, reopens Monday
Sitka Harbor Office closes at noon Friday and reopens Monday, leaving boat owners and fishers without walk-in service or phone access until then. Call 907-738-0835 for emergencies.

Anchorage asked to raise bus tire contract authority by $500,000
Anchorage needs up to $500K more for tires on its 63 city buses, which it leases rather than owns, as leasing and labor costs rise — funded by bonds and grants.

Hughes $25 billion pitch: connect Alaska's railroad to Canada, and Nome to the Interior
Candidate Shelley Hughes wants to link Alaska's railroad to Canada and reach Nome — a roughly $25 billion pitch with no identified funding source.

Rural road access was Alaska's biggest federal award last week
Tribal transportation was Alaska's biggest federal award last week — $2.68 million for rural road access, in a state with fewer road miles than Connecticut.

A plan would move Anchorage's bike route off the highways onto trails
Anchorage's official cross-country bike route runs on highway shoulders. A plan would move it onto the city's trails — the Seward corridor stays contested.

The road to Bear Valley Elementary would narrow, and won't fix the jam
The road to Bear Valley Elementary already backs up at pickup, so the plan is to make it narrower — which, the project admits, won't fix the jam.

Winter ferry bookings open on the system that's the only road many Alaska towns have
Winter ferry bookings are open on the Alaska Marine Highway — the federally funded "road" for the four-in-five Alaska towns with no highway — even as some communities say this winter's schedule is still too thin.

Alaska's freight system was built to ship oil out. Now it's about getting packages in.
Alaska's freight network is shifting from moving oil out to bringing online-shopping deliveries in, as pipeline throughput slides and e-commerce surges through Anchorage.

A separated path toward Hatcher Pass would get walkers and cyclists off Palmer-Fishhook Road's dangerous shoulders
A planned 8.5-mile path would finally get walkers and cyclists off Palmer-Fishhook Road's white-knuckle shoulders — if the Mat-Su Borough can pull together the $4.5 million to build it.

70 homes, one way out: Wasilla weighs fixing a risky railroad crossing on Lucille Lake
Over 70 Lucille Lake homes share one risky way out — a steep rail crossing that's also the only path for fire and ambulance. Wasilla eyes $5.25M to fix it.

Interior Alaska's spring-thaw weight limits lift Wednesday for haulers
Spring-thaw weight limits are lifting on Interior Alaska roads Wednesday — haulers can apply for overweight permits again, but full loads aren't automatic.

Parks Highway delays ease on one stretch, but not the next
Parks Highway traffic control is gone between MP 322 and 325 after a haul-truck crossing opened, but the next stretch south still has speed limits and diversions until 2028.

A $1.5 billion Seward Highway plan pits safety against the Turnagain Arm viewshed
A $1.5 billion Seward Highway rebuild has split Anchorage — the state says it's a safety fix for a deadly corridor; a coalition of critics says it's a highway-widening project that would scar Turnagain Arm.

Cordova's road-safety plan could unlock federal money to fix its streets
Cordova's new road-safety plan could unlock federal grants to fix dangerous streets. Residents have until Sept. 1 to flag the spots that need it.

Eielson airshow returns this weekend, with brief highway stops for the flyovers
Eielson's Arctic Lightning Airshow flies this weekend, free and open to all. Drivers on the Richardson Highway near the base should expect brief stops during the flyovers.

Sterling Highway closed in both directions at Milepost 164 after collision
Sterling Highway closed in both directions at Milepost 164 after a multi-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon, expected to remain closed into the evening.

Tree closes all lanes of North Glenn Highway near mile 71
When a tree falls on the North Glenn and nobody is around to see it, can the highway be shut down at all?

The new Richardson Highway bridge takes shape at Mile 346
The last girders are up on the new Richardson Highway bridge at Mile 346 — a rebuild aimed at reopening a key Valdez-to-Canada freight route to heavy loads.

Chena Small Tracts Road closed for the season as roundabout goes in
Chena Small Tracts Road is closed for the season while a roundabout goes in. West Fairbanks: your detours are Palo Verde, Amherst and Dartmouth.

It's July, and it's snowing on the road to the Arctic
It's late July and it's snowing on Atigun Pass — the 4,739-foot Brooks Range crossing that's the only road to Alaska's North Slope.

Nominations open for Arctic shipping panel with reserved Alaska seats
Alaska Native tribes and coastal groups have until Sept. 22 to seek seats on a new federal panel shaping U.S. Arctic shipping policy as sea lanes open.

More than 100 land deals stand between Alaska and a safer KGB Road
Alaska can't fix KGB Road until it buys land from 100-plus owners. Elsewhere a Gustavus generator waits on a signature. Everything's sliding to 2027.

Anchorage faces federal funding freeze if transportation plan misses December deadline
Anchorage could lose the ability to start new road, trail, and transit projects in December — because the agency funding them can't agree on its border.

Seward Highway closed both directions at Mile 69 after collision
Seward Highway closed both directions at Mile 69 after a collision early Tuesday morning, with delays expected to last at least one hour.

Anchorage planning boundary dispute unresolved between Assembly and state
Anchorage and the state have not resolved a dispute over the Metropolitan Planning Area boundary, and they must agree by December 29, 2026, or the region loses federal transportation funding.

Fairbanks: Old Chena Ridge Road and Transfer Site access close July 27 for season
Old Chena Ridge Road and Transfer Site access close July 27 through the construction season for roundabout work at the Chena Pump Road intersection, part of a $3 million safety project.

Landslide closes Ninilchik Beach Access Road near Mission Ave through July 28
A landslide closed Ninilchik Beach Access Road near Mission Avenue through July 28, blocking access to the beach.

Kawerak extends RFP deadline for construction management services in Bering Strait Region
Kawerak extended its deadline to July 31 for construction management firms to bid on transportation projects across the Bering Strait Region.

Anchorage Assembly to vote July 21 on $351K for pedestrian and bike count program
Anchorage Assembly votes July 21 on $351,143 to count pedestrians and bikes on city roads and paths, combining federal money with local budget funds.

Parks Highway closed at MP 274 near Clear Space Force Station
A disabled semi-truck closed the Parks Highway at Milepost 274 near Clear Space Force Station through Friday, blocking the main route between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
