The attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 raised concern in
the United States about the potential of a Japanese invasion of
Alaska. As a consequence, a highway connecting Alaska with the
lower forty-eighth state was considered a military necessity and,
in March 1942, construction began on the Alaska Highway by the
US Army Corps of Engineers and the Public Roads Administration.
Civilian engineers and equipment worked side-by-side with army
personnel as the roadway pushed connecting strategic airfields
in Canada and the Alaska and following existing winter roads,
First Nations’ trails and rivers.
Working both from the north and the south, the southern section
of the ‘road’ was completed on September 24, 1942
near the British Columbia-Yukon Territory border. A month later
vehicles traveled the entire length of the highway which became
known as the Alaska-Canada Military Highway, or "Alcan"
for short.
The Alcan could hardly be called a ‘road’. It consisted
of bulldozed tracks through the wilderness with road conditions
including 90 degree turns and 25 percent grades. Making initial
conditions even worst was rain and truck traffic which turned
sections of the road into an impassable mire.
In exchange for the highway's right-of-way through Canada and
other considerations, the United States paid for construction
of the highway and turned over the Canadian portion to the Canadian
government in April 1946. The highway officially opened to the
public in 1948.
Since then the Canadian portion of the Alaska Highway has undergone
- and continues to undergo - considerable upgrading. Gone is the
gravel roadbed, replaced by a paved highway with broad ‘shoulders’;
wooden bridges replaced by steel and concrete; and year-round
maintenance a matter of due course.
While significantly improved over the years, the Alaska Highway
still represents an adventure for all who travel its length. The
scenery, wilderness and wildlife continue to draw travelers from
around the World.