Existed: Late 1890s – present Length 259.1 km | North end: River Street in Circle Major cities Circle, Fox, Central | |
South end: AK-2 south (Richardson Highway) / Airport Way in Fairbanks | ||
Google street view timelapse steese highway alaska
The Steese Highway (known as the Steese Expressway within Fairbanks) is a highway in the Interior region of the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 161 miles (259 km) from Fairbanks to Circle, a town on the Yukon River about 50 miles (80 km) south of the Arctic Circle. The highway was completed in 1927 and is named for U.S. Army General James G. Steese, a former president of the Alaska Road Commission. It is paved for about the first 81 miles (130 km) and around the town of Central it turns to dirt and gravel. Much of it is narrow and winding.
Contents
- Google street view timelapse steese highway alaska
- Map of Steese Hwy Fairbanks AK USA
- 12 mile summit steese highway alaska february 4 2014 2 59 pm
- History
- Route description
- References
Map of Steese Hwy, Fairbanks, AK, USA
12 mile summit steese highway alaska february 4 2014 2 59 pm
History
The highway and surrounding region has a long association with gold mining. It was built to service the Circle Mining District, which was very productive in the 1890s, before the discovery of gold in the Klondike. Both historic sites, such as Felix Pedro's 1902 gold discovery which resulted in the founding of Fairbanks, and the preserved gold camp at Chatanika, and active dredging operations line the road.
Route description
The Steese Highway is numbered Alaska Route 6 for most of its length, except for the first 11 miles (17 km) from Fairbanks to Fox, which are numbered Alaska Route 2. The highway has been designated as a National Scenic Byway.