Why Alaska has highways that end in the middle of nowhere

Some highways just stop in Alaska. There’s no town or border, and sometimes, there’s nothing but trees, which makes it seem like Alaska’s roads follow their own rules. Why on earth are there so many dead ends in this state? Here’s the truth behind what’s going on & why it happens in Alaska.

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Permafrost and thaw settlement

A large portion of Alaska sits on frozen ground, and that ground doesn’t always stay put. When the ice under the surface melts, the roadbed can slump, and in some areas, engineers don’t even bother trying to build past those unstable sections. It would cost an absolute fortune to keep the pavement from sinking. So they don’t bother.

Ending where the work is

Other stretches of road were never meant for family road trips, such as the Dalton Highway. It wasn’t built to connect towns, but rather, to get people & equipment to the oil fields. This meant that the pavement ended as soon as the pipeline did, as there was no reason for it to continue going.

A canceled bridge

Originally, there was supposed to be a bridge between Ketchikan & Gravina Island, and the state even paved part of the highway for it. But then plans for the bridge were axed. As a result, that perfectly good road goes absolutely nowhere and just stops at the water. It has now become nicknamed the “Road to Nowhere.”

Glacial rivers washed out a highway

Mother Nature has her own way of taking charge, and that’s rather obvious along the Copper River Highway. Floods & shifting channels knocked out several bridges, causing the rest of the highway to become a stranded stretch of pavement. No amount of planning is going to help when a river decides to move locations.

Ferry terminals

The ocean itself does the connecting in Southeast Alaska, as highways there often stop right at a ferry dock. The state tries to avoid building expensive roads through mountains & icefields, and instead, it relies on the Marine Highway ferries to carry vehicles between communities. Only Haines, Skagway & Hyder connect by road to the continent.

Short construction seasons

In Alaska, the building season is very short, and crews must work like crazy during the warm months. Everything then shuts down when winter hits. Any big projects will need to be split into chunks over several years, meaning that a temporary end may actually stick around for a while. Some of the unfinished portions are just waiting for their next piece.

Winter ice roads replace pavement

There are some areas where the seasonal ice roads extend the highway route during the coldest months. Trucks use these frozen paths to reach oil fields & remote camps. Then, when spring arrives, the ice melts, meaning that the highway is suddenly gone until the next deep freeze.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article: