Western Alaska Access Planning Study Completed - The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Northern Region (DOT&PF), announces the release of the Western Alaska Access Planning Study.  Copies of the full report or Executive Summary can be downloaded from this site or requested by contacting DOT&PF.

In August 2008 the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities contracted with a team of consultants led by DOWL HKM to analyze the location and benefits of constructing a highway between the contiguous Interior Alaska highway system and the isolated highway system on the Seward Peninsula. The study, completed in January 2010, identified resources and communities within the Western Alaska region, evaluated road corridor alternatives, and recommended the Yukon River Corridor.  The anticipated economic benefits and costs of the road and actions needed to implement construction were identified for the recommended corridor.

Of the alternatives considered, the Yukon River Corridor has the best balance of resource and community development benefits with the least adverse impact to the environment and land ownership/management.  The Yukon River Corridor is approximately 500 miles long, roughly parallels the Yukon River for much of its length, and has an estimated total project cost of $2.3 to $2.7 billion.