Transportation
RSSTransportation in Alaska is the network of highways, ferries, airports and transit systems connecting its communities. It tracks highway maintenance, closures and construction, Alaska Marine Highway System ferries, and local transportation planning and safety projects.
Inside Transportation
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Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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Week of Jun 22
Guardrail repairs close a Glenn Highway lane toward Anchorage Thursday
Crews are fixing broken guardrail and fencing on the Glenn, so the right Anchorage-bound lane is closed till 4:30 PM Thursday. Boring, until you need that rail.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Dunleavy signs bill aligning Alaska classic car import rules with federal standard
Gov. Dunleavy signed a bill letting Alaskans title imported classic cars 25 years or older, matching federal rules and unblocking owners caught in an outdated gap.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Moves to Fix One of Its Most Dangerous Streets
Anchorage is finally redesigning Bragaw Street — no bike lanes, disappearing sidewalks, nowhere for the snow — with mostly federal money and a six-year timeline.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
$2.2 million in federal trail money will fund 15 Alaska projects
Alaska handed trail money to its highway department, rebranded it ATLAS, and split $2.2M across 15 projects, from a new snow groomer to an Iditarod bridge.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Week of Jun 15
A Chugach e-bike rule became a fight over who belongs in the backcountry
The Chugach reminded everyone e-bikes can't use hiking trails. The comment section promptly declared war.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska's Mental Health Trust will log old-growth near Hollis to fund care
Alaska's Mental Health Trust is logging old-growth near Hollis to fund care for vulnerable Alaskans. Good cause, complicated trees.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage seeks $3.5M for plow operators, contracts toward 72-hour standard
Anchorage Assembly will vote June 23 on $3.5 million to hire seven plow operators and expand contracted snow removal, aiming to clear all municipal roads within 72 hours after storms.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to appropriate $1.75M federal port power grant
Anchorage Assembly votes Monday on a $1.75 million federal grant to harden the Port of Alaska's electrical systems against earthquakes and add backup power for cargo terminals.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
More from Transportation
Anchorage Assembly will vote June 23 on $214,684 for a pedestrian safety campaign
Anchorage is getting $214K in federal money for pedestrian safety outreach. The city's pedestrian fatality numbers say, maybe it's overdue?
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min readFrom 
Archangel Road opens for summer access to Reed Lakes
Archangel Road in Hatcher Pass opened for summer, restoring vehicle access to Reed Lakes Trailhead and alpine hiking. Expect rough unpaved conditions, limited parking, and weekend crowds.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Parks Highway blasting, 24-hour pilot cars through Nenana Canyon
Alaska Department of Transportation is blasting rock cuts and running 24-hour pilot cars on Parks Highway between Nenana Canyon mileposts 319 and 325, creating extended delays on the main Anchorage-Fairbanks route.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 8
Mental Health Trust to log 1,438 acres near Hollis on Prince of Wales Island
Alaska Mental Health Trust approved logging 1,438 acres near Hollis on Prince of Wales Island to harvest 20 million board feet of old-growth forest and fund mental health services.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks Planning to take up metro boundary expansion June 17
FAST Planning board votes June 17 on expanding metro planning boundary to include Farmer's Loop, Chena Ridge, Chena Pump, Moose Creek, and Eielson Air Force Base.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Anchorage police to train 10 officers in mental-health crisis response
Anchorage police will train up to ten officers and dispatchers in mental health crisis response this fall using a $50,000 state grant and $1,100 in city matching funds.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min readFrom 
Anchorage appropriates $2.5M in federal transit grants for bus fleet
Anchorage Assembly approved $6.6 million in federal and local funding on June 9 to replace aging buses, expand paratransit service, and maintain the People Mover fleet.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min readFrom 
Talkeetna Airport bicycle shop seeks five-year lease extension
Hailey DeReamer is seeking a five-year lease extension for her bicycle shop at Talkeetna State Airport, paying about $250 a month for the 17,217-square-foot parcel that serves climbers and flightseeing tourists.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Coming up
Juneau Assembly Regular Meeting
Assembly Chambers, Juneau, AK, and Zoom webinar (ID 915 1542 4903, or call 1-253-215-8782)
Meeting
AMATS Policy Committee Vote on 2027-2030 Transportation Funding
Meeting
AMATS Policy Committee Meeting
Meeting
Public Hearing on 2052 Metropolitan Transportation Plan
Hearing
Denali Park Road Vehicle Management Rule Takes Effect
Public notice
About Transportation
Transportation in Alaska takes in the highways, ferries, railroad, airports, barges and transit systems that connect its communities. Major routes include the Parks, Glenn, Seward, Sterling, Richardson and Dalton highways.
The state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities drafts a statewide road plan, and regional planners in Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Mat-Su set which projects get federal money. Crashes and closures on highways recur, along with construction schedules, seasonal road closures and the cost of barge freight to Western, Arctic and Southeast Alaska.
Transportation connects closely to infrastructure, economic development and energy. Local questions include transit and paratransit service, bike and walking paths, roundabouts at dangerous intersections and docks and ports for cruise ships and barges.
More from Transportation
Anchorage programs Fairview Bypass into 2052 plan at $220M
Anchorage added the Fairview Bypass to its 2052 transportation plan at $220.5 million across four phases, but the state faces a $150 million short-term budget shortfall and whether the project gets built remains uncertain.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom 
Anchorage transit plan adds $684M in routes, microtransit zones through 2052
Anchorage's transit plan adds bus rapid transit, microtransit zones, and free fares for seniors and veterans through 2052. • The $684 million package depends entirely on projected revenue materializing over 26 years. • State funding faces a $150 million short-term deficit competing against other Alaska priorities.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min readFrom 
Alaska DOT programs Fairview Bypass into 2052 plan at $220M
Alaska DOT programmed the Fairview Bypass into its long-range transportation plan at $220.5 million across four phases, with construction stages starting at $60 million for a regional connection near Merrill Field.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom 
The federal autonomous vehicle framework Congress is debating would apply to Alaska's roads — but Alaska wasn't part of the conversation
Congress is debating a federal framework for autonomous trucks that will apply to Alaska's roads, but Alaska's operating conditions like Arctic weather, wildlife, and cellular dead zones were not part of the Senate hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Week of Jun 1
Denali Highway bridge inspections close lanes through Wednesday
Alaska DOT&PF will close lanes on the Denali Highway at two bridges Tuesday through Thursday for routine federal safety inspections, causing delays up to 60 minutes at each site.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
DOT proposes 20-year FAA deals at three rural airports, no rent
You know what they say, everything good in this life is free
by Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Bering Air seeks Nome and Unalakleet lease updates — at the same airports the NTSB is investigating
Bering Air is seeking lease extensions at Nome and Unalakleet airports while the NTSB investigates the February 2025 crash of Flight 445 that killed 10 people, citing overweight aircraft as a major factor.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Federal highway chief commits to King Cove Road action
Federal Highway Administrator committed to finalize the Road, an 11-mile project connecting the community to Cold Bay's airport, and will visit Alaska in late June.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Week of May 25
Trump order on off-road vehicle rules could reshape Alaska federal-land access fights
Trump rescinded executive orders requiring federal agencies to minimize off-road vehicle damage to wildlife and soils, potentially reshaping access rules on Alaska's 60 percent federally owned lands.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
DOT&PF lifts weight limits on Dalton, Elliott highways; dozens of Interior roads still restricted
Elliott and Dalton highways lifted all seasonal weight limits Friday. • Parks, Richardson, Glenn, and Alaska highways returned to summer permitting. • Dozen Interior roads remain restricted to 50 to 100 percent of legal axle load.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
DOT&PF cuts Chiniak Highway to 50 percent axle load during fishing season
Alaska DOT&PF cut Chiniak Highway to 50 percent axle load from milepost 20.1 to 33.39 effective May 27 to protect pavement during spring thaw and fishing season truck traffic on Kodiak Island.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min readDOT seeks rural input on statewide transportation planning process
Alaska DOT is updating how rural communities shape statewide transportation planning and seeking input through June 7, but has received only eight rural responses to its survey so far.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska House passes bill requiring human operators in commercial autonomous vehicles
Alaska House passed HB 217 requiring a human operator in certain commercial autonomous vehicles, sending the bill to Senate State Affairs Committee despite opposition from industry groups and the state transportation department.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min readAnchorage airport noise study to present mitigation alternatives by summer
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is studying aircraft noise impacts and will present mitigation options at public meetings by mid-summer 2026.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min readState confirms narrow lanes, pilot-car delays on Seward Highway through summer
Alaska Department of Transportation is narrowing lanes and running pilot-car escorts on the Seward Highway between milepost 25.5 and 36 through summer to rehabilitate a 10.5-mile segment near Kenai Lake and Moose Pass.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
House panel approves $580 billion transportation bill with rail safety provisions
House committee approved $580 billion five-year transportation bill with new rail safety rules. • Rail provisions require two-person crews, wayside defect detectors, and faster phase-out of older tank cars. • Bill funds $50 billion for bridges and $65 billion for rail over five years. • New fees on electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids generate first Highway Trust Fund revenue since 1993.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Pedestrian dies after being struck by two vans on Glenn Highway near Boniface
A pedestrian died Tuesday morning after being struck by two vans on the Glenn Highway near Boniface Parkway, according to an Anchorage Police Department statement.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska DOT restricts truck weights on Central Region roads starting June 1
Alaska DOT limits truck weights on Central Region roads starting June 1 to protect roads during spring thaw. Most paved roads restricted to 75 percent of legal axle load, gravel roads to 50 percent. Six roads face strictest limits at 50 percent with no overloads allowed.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan closes Gorge and Sayles streets through fall 2026 for viaduct replacement
Ketchikan closes Gorge and Sayles streets through fall 2026 for viaduct replacement, forcing drivers to use alternate routes while crews work six days a week.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Glenn Highway bridge closure forces Birchwood detour through June 2
Glenn Highway northbound bridge closed April 18 for 45 days. All traffic uses southbound span with 11-foot lanes and 45 MPH limit through June 2. • Birchwood Loop on-ramp closed. Detour via Old Glenn Highway to next entrance. • 20 to 30 million dollar project covers bridge deck repair. Completion August 2026. • Lane configuration shifts daily by time to manage peak commuter flows.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Assembly transfers nine riverfront parcels to state for erosion control
Alaska borough transfers nine riverfront parcels to the state to build erosion barriers before the Matanuska River threatens the highway.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Week of May 18
Anchorage airport says TSA wait times are back to seasonal normal
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport says TSA wait times are back to normal, but advises arriving two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights as summer travel picks up.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska DOT imposes four-tier weight limits on Northern Region roads
Alaska DOT limits truck weights on Northern Region roads starting May 21 due to spring thaw. • Restrictions range from 50 to 100 percent of legal axle load depending on road condition. • Major highways like Parks Highway stay at full weight, while rural roads drop to 50 percent. • Elliot and Dalton highways exempt from seasonal limits.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min readConstituent complaint drives classic car import law through Legislature
Alaska House passed a bill updating classic car import rules to match federal standards, allowing cars 25 years old or older to be registered instead of only pre-1981 models, after a constituent could not register a federally legal vehicle.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
